The Ties of Family
by Alexandra989
Summary: Jamie and Sophie are growing and Jack fears they will stop believing. A trip to Jamie's wealthy aunt's manor reveals something about Jamie and Jack and changes their thoughts about each other. And a fictional tale of the birth of the ROTG movie. (Ratings may differ for different chapters. Mostly rated K-plus)
1. Chapter 1

14- year old Jamie Bennett looked out of his bedroom window, wistfully, at the bald, snow-covered tree outside his window. He reminisced the fun he and his friends had had four years ago when they had helped the Guardians defeat Pitch Black, the Boogeyman. Ever since then, Jamie had been visited by Jack Frost, the Guardian of Fun.

Today, however, the aforementioned Guardian was nowhere in sight. Jamie understood that the Guardians were often busy and weren't supposed to be spending too much time with a single kid. Jamie was often laughed at by some of his friends for believing in the Guardians. Some of them were those at his new high school, who would tease him and sometimes pull pranks on him, put ice in his locker, which would melt and wet his books, dress up as Old Man Winter and jump out at him and many others. Before Easter, they would sometimes leave him rotten eggs, too. Jamie was also teased by his childhood friends, ones who had been with him when they had defeated Pitch Black. Not all of them had stopped believing, though, there were some who still believed.

Jamie turned to look at his packed bags. It was nearing Christmas and the Bennetts were heading off to another part of the country to stay with a wealthy aunt of his and celebrate Christmas at her manor. Jamie was looking forward to that, as he had never been to a manor before in his life. He heard the manor was very grand and beautiful, even more so in the winter when snow covered it. But he wished he could see that one particular Guardian again before he left.

"Jamie!" called Mrs. Bennett. "Are you ready, dear? We're about to leave! You're supposed to bring your luggage down! Come on, we want to get there before dark!"

"Coming, mom!" Jamie called down before picking up two of his bags. He had certainly grown stronger over the years, though nowhere near as ripped as some of the guys in his high school, especially the seniors.

"Need some help?"

Jamie dropped one of his heavy bags, startled. He recognised that voice. He didn't have to turn to know who it was. A huge grin spread across his face even before he had fully turned to face who it was.

Jack Frost sat on the windowsill, with his staff, looking no different from the last time Jamie saw him, which was... well, the previous week. But he hasn't changed at all since four years ago.

"Jack! You came!" Jamie exclaimed, dropping his other bag and running to the windowsill and embraced the Guardian like he always did.

"Wow, you're growing taller!" Jack remarked.

Jamie beamed. "That's great! Soon I'll be as tall as those sophomores and I'll show them who I am!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Sophomores?" he asked. "You mean those big guys in high school?"

"You've been to high school?" Jamie asked.

Jack shook his head. "We had no high school back then. Well, not like the high schools today. I've peeked in windows of high schools before and I've seen the sophomores." He smiled a little.

"Jamie!" came Mrs. Bennett's voice again. "Do you need any help? Hurry, we're leaving in five minutes!'

"Alright, coming, mom!" Jamie called back before turning back to Jack. "Jack, I'm heading to the country to visit an aunt of mine. We're celebrating Christmas with her this year. She lives in a manor. Do you think you can come visit me there?"

"Sure," Jack said, smiling. "And don't worry, North knows wherever you are. He'll come. Perhaps if you stay up, you might be able to catch him."

Jamie grinned. "That'll be great. Right, I have to go!" Jamie carried his bags and hurried down the stairs. The sound of the car engine starting in the porch made him hurry. He took his last bag down and shut his room window and door. Jack flew up to the roof and looked down onto the porch, where Mr. Bennett was loading Jamie's luggage into the trunk of the car, and Mrs. Bennett and eight-year old Sophie was getting into the car. A moment later, as Jack watched, Jamie climbed into the back seat with his sister. Mr. Bennett got in himself and the car drove out of the porch and off to the country. Jack flew off.

**What Jamie and Jack will find out in the next chapter is actually semi-canon (it's on the Wikia). Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think of this, thanks! **


	2. Chapter 2

The ride to the country seemed to take forever. It was actually quite a good distance away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Burgess. Jamie had brought along board games to play with Sophie on the way, but his sister wasn't interested in any of them. Jamie felt incredibly bored and wished Jack was with him, but of course, that was just wishful thinking. It was not like Jack was his one and only Guardian Angel; the Guardian of Fun had to protect other children as well.

Jamie turned to look at his eight-year old sister who was fast asleep. She hadn't changed much, either, her blonde hair still covered part of her face, it was still rather unkempt. The only difference was that she was slightly taller, and was no longer dressed in clothes for toddlers. She still clutched a toy, though. Jamie smiled a little upon seeing that it was a plush bunny. Sophie's belief in the Easter Bunny had never wavered very much like his belief in Jack Frost.

"We're here, kids!" Mrs. Bennett called to the children in the back. Sophie woke with a start. Jamie peered out of the window. Mr. Bennett was driving faster than before, maybe because snow was falling and he was afraid they wouldn't make it there. Jamie saw the silhouette of a large grand building in the distance. It was almost dark. Jamie's thoughts wandered for a moment to the Boogeyman, but he then brushed them away.

Mr. Bennett managed to drive into the driveway of the snow-covered manor. In the semi-darkness and with all the snow, it looked a little foreboding. Jamie's eyes widened as he surveyed it. He had never seen such grandeur. The exterior was grander than some grand houses in Burgess.

"Whoa, mom. Is it true the lady who lives here is my aunt?" Jamie asked. "She seems to be too rich to be a relative of ours."

Mrs. Bennett chuckled. "My sister happened to marry a rich man, Jamie, and after your uncle's death last year, she has been living alone, with only your cousin to keep her company. The servants don't make really good company."

"You mean she's a widow? With servants? And she's your sister? How come we've never heard of her?" the 14- year old inquired further, taking his bags out of the trunk of the car, keeping an eye out for that one particular Guardian.

"Well, she lives all the way out here," Mrs. Bennett replied. "It isn't exactly turn right at the next corner. And she's always been someone who keeps to herself, you know. She's just grown incredibly lonely since last year. It was rather weird for us at first, too, when we received her invitation to spend Christmas here."

"I have a feeling we're gonna have a rather grand Christmas this year," Jamie said, as they made their way up to the manor. An impeccably-dressed man was awaiting them.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett," he greeted them, bowing slightly. "And to you, too, Master Jamie and Miss Sophie."

"Master Jamie!" Jamie said, grinning at his sister. "Man, I love this guy."

"Please leave your bags here. I'll see that they will be sent up to your rooms, which I will show you to later," the man who resembled a butler continued. "For now, you are wanted in the living room."

The little family left their bags and were escorted to the living room. Jamie and Sophie kept admiring the interior of the manor, which seemed a hundred times grander than the exterior. The living room was cavernous, and it sported a real fireplace, which wasn't lit. Jamie remembered seeing some chimneys on the manor outside earlier. There was a good reason why the fireplace had no fire in it and that was because there was already central heating. The living room was furnished with elaborate and elegant furniture and several statues. A large staircase led to the second floor and a few pairs of double doors led off the living room. Jamie noticed that there were many portraits lining the stairs. There were some in the living room as well. Most of them looked old and faded.

A lady sat on a chaise armchair, awaiting them. She looked slightly older than Mrs. Bennett, with the same brown hair, only hers was up in a tight bun. She was wearing a dress Jamie had only seen in the windows of expensive designer stores and looked extremely pleased to see them. Jamie noticed that she had different eyes from his mom's.

"Oh, dearie, how nice of you to come," she said. "Please, sit yourselves down."

As Jamie and his family took a seat on the elaborate furniture, he noticed that there was someone else in the room besides his aunt. A girl dressed in a frock sat quietly in an armchair not far from them. She had blonde hair, quite unlike Sophie's, and looked very pale. Her head was bowed. Her hands were clasped together.

"Hello, Estella," greeted Mrs. Bennett, smiling at the girl. Jamie noticed that she looked no older than he was. "How do you do?"

The girl was about to answer before a coughing fit seized her. Jamie noticed his aunt's worried look as she gazed upon her daughter. "Go to your room, Estella," she commanded. The girl got up and hurried up the stairs.

One of the servants brought them tea. "What's wrong with the girl?" Mr. Bennett asked, looking in the direction of the stairs which Estella had ascended.

Jamie's aunt looked rather sad. "She's been very sick lately," she said, rather sorrowfully. "I fear she might not last till Christmas."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Mrs. Bennett, concerned. "Haven't you got a doctor?"

"Yes, we have, and he said she's in a very poor condition," Jamie's aunt responded. "I'm afraid it's this snow, this winter, it has brought plague with it."

"Then we must avoid going out in the snow," said Mrs. Bennett. She turned to Jamie and Sophie. "Remember that, you two. No going out in the snow. No snowball fights."

Jamie was devastated. "No way, mom! You can't do that to us! It's like grounding us!"

"Jamie Bennett!" snapped Mr. Bennett. "Do not take on that tone with your mother! Would you rather be grounded... or dead?"

"But everything seemed fine in Burgess!" Jamie protested, but his mother held up a hand to silence him.

"Enough, Jamie," she said.

Jamie was disappointed. Where was Jack? Perhaps he could ask the Guardian about this plague. After all, Jack created snow and blizzards and such. He should know if winter this year brought plague with it. Jamie decided to ponder on that later, and instead turned to his aunt.

"So, aunt, I was wondering, how should I address you? What is your surname?"

Jamie's aunt chuckled. "Such an adorable little boy. I wish I had a son just like you."

Jamie felt a ripple of anger. Little boy? Adorable? Thank goodness the sophomores weren't in that very room at that moment.

"My surname is Warren, my dear. You can call me Mrs. Warren."

Jamie and Sophie both looked up at that. "Warren?" Jamie asked, beaming. "Warren! Mrs. Warren, do you know that the Warren is the home and headquarters of the Easter Bunny? And Sophie has been there before and she told me there were tulips which produced eggs and they go through a process of painting..."

Jamie trailed off as he noticed how his parents and aunt were looking at him. Only Sophie was looking at him in a different way.

"Er... Jamie, are you okay?" Mrs. Warren asked. "I've never heard of a headquarters named Warren. Well, perhaps you got it confused with a company named Warren. But Easter Bunny and tulips and whatnot... sounds interesting. Which book is this all from?"

Jamie's smile faded. "It's not a book, Mrs. Warren, it's..."

Mrs. Bennett chuckled. "Oh, children," she said. "Jamie, you've been acting really strange for quite some time now." She turned to Mrs. Warren. "Can you believe, Petunia, that there has been a few times when I've heard Jamie talk to someone in his room and he claims it's Jack Frost?"

Mrs. Warren laughed. "Everyone knows Jack Frost is only an expression, a figure of speech," she said. She turned to see Jamie's crestfallen face. "Oh, don't worry, dear. We're not teasing you. It's okay to imagine things once in a while."

Jamie looked at his aunt's kindly face. "Mrs. Warren, haven't you ever been a kid before?"

Mrs. Warren looked surprised. "Why, of course, my dear boy. Everyone of us was a kid once. Why do you ask such a silly question?" She smiled.

"Didn't you believe in them, then?" Jamie asked.

"Who?"

"Santa Claus? The Tooth Fairy? The Easter Bunny? Didn't you go on egg hunts during Easter?"

"Yes, we heard of them, but we knew they were just a bunch of fairy tales," Mrs. Warren said. "I had many friends who believe in them, but I didn't. Your mother did, of course. She still believes in the Tooth Fairy, don't you?"

"Just playing along with children's beliefs," Mrs. Bennett responded.

"What about Estella?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, she believes, with all her heart, no matter how much I try to reason with her. Then again, what can I do? She's only twelve." Mrs. Warren sighed. "Twelve and dying."

The family had dinner later, and then it was bedtime. The butler showed them up the flight of stairs lined with portraits. Jamie and Sophie followed quietly, their parents were with their aunt and would be going to bed later. As they reached the top of the stairs, the butler turned right and walked down a dimly lit corridor. It was all very gloomy. Just as Jamie was about to turn, he noticed something in one of the portraits. He stopped for a moment and gazed at it.

"No way," he breathed.

**Well, I guess what is to be revealed will only be revealed in the next chapter since this one went on much longer than I'd expected. So sorry. But I think most of you have already guessed what it is. Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favourites!**

** And I think I made a mistake with Sophie's age; I thought she was four, but she was actually two. :-P Sorry about that. **

** Thanks for reading and please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

Jamie sat on the window seat, looking out of a window in the bedroom he and Sophie were to share. Snow fell thickly around the manor and the sky was dark. There was a woods near the manor, Jamie remembered, and as he stared out into the darkness and heard several wolf howls, he felt fear rising inside him. His thoughts wandered back to four years before when they had battled Pitch Black. Was he out there? As far as Jamie knew, Pitch Black existed wherever darkness was, even in the darkness at the top of the stairs.

Where was Jack? Jamie hoped the Guardian would fly to the country to see him. There was snow around here after all. Jack had to be near. Jamie gazed at the window, hoping to see frost swirling on it. But nothing close to Jack Frost could be seen except the snow on the windowsill.

"Jamie, aren't you going to bed?" Sophie asked, peering out from under her blanket. "Mom will be awfully mad if she caught you up past your bedtime."

"Come on Sophie, I'm already fourteen," Jamie replied, not taking his eyes off the window. "I can go to bed whenever I want. But you, you're just eight."

"I'll tell mom you were up past your bedtime," Sophie threatened.

"Don't be such a tell-tale!" Jamie snapped. His thoughts then wandered to the portrait he had seen along the stairs. He had to talk to Jack about it. But where was the Guardian?

Maybe I was just imagining things, Jamie thought to himself. Without a second thought, he grabbed his coat and a torch from his bag and hurried out of the room into the long, deserted, dimly-lit hallway. It looked very much like the hallways and corridors in dark castles he had seen in some movies. He hurried to the stairs, the lamps along the walls were his only source of light. "Wouldn't Pitch love to have this place as his lair," Jamie muttered to himself, as he reached the stairs. He went down a few steps and stopped at the portrait he had seen earlier. Turning on his torch, he shone it on the portrait.

There was no mistaking it. Jamie clearly recognised who it was. He peered closer at it, studying the features of the subject. There wasn't a single doubt about who the subject was. Jamie had tried confirming with the butler earlier, but the guy wasn't the friendliest of people.

"Why are you staring at him like that?"

Jamie jumped at the voice and almost dropped his torch. He managed to grab it and shone it upon the person behind him.

As the light beam hit her, cousin Estella held up her hands in front of her face to shield her eyes from the light. "Sorry," Jamie muttered, before turning back to the portrait. He was then overcome by an idea and turned back to Estella.

"Hey, do you know who this guy is?" Jamie asked, pointing at the portrait.

Estella gazed up at it. She then looked at the bottom of the picture, at the frame. She pointed at a small carving there. Jamie shone his torch on it. There was a name there.

_Jackson Overland_

The name was followed by a date, showing the date of birth of the portrait's subject and the date of his or her demise. Estella brushed her fingers over the date before coughing a little. "Jackson Overland," she said. "He was only seventeen when he died. He was born in Burgess, just like you and your family. Judging from the date, he was from very early colonial times."

"Wow, you really know all this stuff, don't you?" Jamie said, smiling a little.

Estella coughed a little before replying, "Yeah, my mom makes me learn all about the history of our ancestors and history itself. She wants me to be a historian when I grow up, but I don't know if that will happen." She coughed again. "Anyway, Jamie Bennett, you should be in bed, not here."

But Jamie was thinking of something else. "Cousin Estella, you said something about learning our ancestors' history," he said. "This boy, is he our ancestor?"

Estella looked at Jamie in surprise, though the boy couldn't see it in the dark. "Jackson Overland? Our ancestor? Of course he is! All the portraits here are our ancestors. It's like a timeline. The most recent ones are at the bottom of the stairs, the earliest ones are here."

Jamie shone his torch at the portrait again. "Tell me, cousin, when was this portrait painted? When Jackson Overland was still alive?"

"No," the girl replied. "After he died. They had an artist and his sister described him and the artist painted this. It is said that it resembles him completely."

"His sister?"

"Here she is."

Jamie shone his torch on the next portrait. There was the portrait of a lady, but she looked slightly older than her brother. Part of her hair covered her face like Sophie's and as Jamie studied her features and hair, he absent-mindedly reached up to touch his.

Estella coughed a little before remarking, "We are descended from her. Her brother wasn't married and he didn't have children. Now, I really must get to bed. I only came down here because I heard someone running in the hallway."

"Wait! One last question!" Jamie said. Estella turned on her way up the stairs. "H-how did Jackson Overland die?"

Estella hesitated for a moment, racking her brains, trying to remember. "Wait a second... oh no, don't tell me I've forgotten... wait..." Jamie looked at her hopefully. "Ah, yes! He fell into a pond!"

Jamie frowned slightly. "How can falling into a pond kill you? Did he drown? Didn't someone rescue him?"

"It was in winter. The pond had froze over, but not all of it. Part of it had not froze completely. Jackson Overland saved his sister, I think. He fell through the ice and into the cold water. And you know how cold water like that is. If I'm not mistaken, he died from cold water shock or hypothermia or something like that. He existed too long ago for me to care to remember. Please don't tell my mom I said that. Now good night, Jamie Bennett." She hurried back up the stairs and in the darkness returned to her bedroom.

Jamie shone his torch over the portrait again. There was no mistaking it. The boy in the portrait was Jack, without a doubt. Jack Frost.

**Jack will be appearing in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and please review!**

**I might be posting up several chapters that I have written because my holidays are about to end and I'll be going back to school. I have a huge exam next year, so I'm only allowed to log on during the weekends which means less frequent updates. **


	4. Chapter 4

There were two days more to Christmas. Jamie was feeling really bored. He wasn't allow to go out in the snow to play, and anyway, there wasn't anyone to play with. Sophie had gotten absorbed in playing with some of Estella's fine toys and Jamie thought it was rather creepy, playing near the dark, menacing woods. How could anyone live in such a place anyway? He wasn't afraid of Pitch Black but the darkness was terrifying and there were wolves in there.

The manor had a library, but the books were all classical ones with big words and complicated language. Jamie didn't really enjoy such books. The previous day, however, he had discovered a set of books in the library which caught his eye. It was a series called _Guardians of Childhood_ and were stories of some of the Guardians, like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy or Toothiana, the Sandman, the Easter Bunny or E. Aster Bunnymund and the Man in the Moon. Jamie thought it was the only set of books which was interesting in the library. He had spent the whole of the previous day reading the series, and had even begged his aunt to let him have them.

There was still no sign of Jack. Jamie was growing impatient. It was like waiting for a bomb to go off as he had something he had to ask the Guardian. That evening, Jamie returned to his bedroom and curled up on the window seat again, and flipped through one of the books from the series, the one about Toothiana.

As Jamie was reading, he heard a weird crackling sound and looked up. That was when he noticed frost swirling on the window. Jack! Jamie hurriedly threw open the window, instantly inviting in a gust of cold wind. He hurriedly shut the window again and pressed his nose against it, trying to see if Jack was outside. He had to be.

Jamie grabbed his jacket and reopened the window, putting his head out of it and calling for Jack. The wind whipped at his hair and face, stinging him and he wondered how it would feel like if he wasn't wearing a coat, or if he was dressed for summer.

"Jack!" Jamie called. "I know you're there!"

Only the whistling winter wind answered him. Darkness was descending upon the area. Jamie frowned slightly.

"Jack! Where are you? There's something I have to tell you! Something... important!" Jamie yelled. "I guess," he added to himself.

The next thing he knew the Guardian of Fun was in his face, startling him. "Jack!" Jamie exclaimed. "You came!"

"Nice place your aunt's got here," Jack said, stepping through the window into the room. "And very snowy, isn't it? So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Jack settled himself on the window seat. Jamie hurriedly shut the window.

"First of all, is there plague?" Jamie asked.

Jack cocked his head. "Plague?" he asked.

"My cousin is ill and my aunt says she probably won't last till Christmas," Jamie replied, sitting on the window seat as well. "She's only twelve."

Jack's eyes widened. "Whoa. Seriously? That's bad."

"My aunt claims this winter has brought plague with it," Jamie said. "She likes playing in the snow, this cousin of mine. My aunt thinks it's because of that."

Jack scowled. "I don't do plague, Jamie. I think it's Pitch. I'll go see the other Guardians about this." He prepared to leave, but Jamie stopped him.

"Wait, Jack. There's something else. You have to come and see this," Jamie said, pleading Jack to come with him. The Guardian of Fun followed the boy out into the dark corridor and to the too of the stairs. They went down a few steps and stopped before the same portrait Jamie had been gazing two nights before.

"Look at this."

Jack looked, and his eyes widened in surprise. He looked as though he had stopped breathing upon seeing the name and the date at the bottom of the portrait. "But this is me!" he exclaimed. Jamie nodded. Without a word, he gestured at the next portrait.

"Is that your sister?"

Jack gaped at the painting, disbelievingly. "You've got to be kidding me,' he breathed. "Yes, it's her, but older."

Jamie turned to the Guardian of Fun. "How did you get these, Jamie? How did your aunt get these paintings?" Jack asked, looking stunned.

Jamie shrugged. "Jack, you died, didn't you? You fell into a pond. You saved your sister. Her." The 14- year old gestured at the painting of Jackson Overland's sister. Jack's eyes darted between the portrait and Jamie.

"How did you know?"

"My cousin told me," Jamie replied. "She remembers everyone's history. Everyone here, at least. Including you. She said you were born during very early colonial times in Burgess. She told me how you died."

Jack reached up and was about to touch the painting of him, before remembering that it would probably frost over. "How does your cousin know?"

"Because... these are all our ancestors," Jamie said.

Jack turned sharply to look at Jamie. The Guardian of Fun wore a confused look on his face. "I'm descended from your sister, Jack," Jamie explained. "She's like my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother or something. Crazy, isn't it?"

"Does that make me your great-great-great-well, it goes on, grand uncle or something?" Jack asked. Jamie looked at the portrait for a moment, eyes wide with delight as he realised it. How had he not seen it before?

"Yes!" Jamie exclaimed. "Jack! I don't believe it!"

The Guardian of Fun looked equally startled by this revelation. He was about to say something when Mrs. Bennett shouted up the stairs.

"Jamie Bennett! Who are you talking to? Not Jack Frost again, I hope!"

Jack and Jamie exchanged mischievous grins before Jamie called back, "As a matter of fact, mom, yes! He's right here!"

Mrs. Bennett came thundering up the stairs, much to Jamie and Jack's surprise. She passed through Jack as she grabbed hold of Jamie by his shoulder and placed her hand against his forehead.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Jamie said, trying to free himself from his mother's grip.

"Where's Jack Frost, Jamie?" she asked. The boy looked surprised. He looked up at the Guardian to see that the latter was astonished as well.

"Over there!" he said, pointing at where Jack was standing. The two of them exchanged another smile. Mrs. Bennett probably couldn't see Jack, unless she had rekindled her belief all of a sudden, though it seemed pretty impossible. She had never believed in Jack Frost anyway. Mrs. Bennett turned and stared at the spot where Jamie was pointing to. In fact, she stared right into Jack Frost's eyes, but couldn't see him. Jack realised with a jolt that he was looking right into his sister's eyes. There was no mistaking it.

Mrs. Bennett turned back to her son. "Jamie, have you been seeing things?" she asked, her voice thick with concerned. "You know, we can get you a psychiatrist..."

Jamie frowned. He shook his head. "No, mom!" he protested. "I don't need a psychiatrist! I am not seeing things! Jack Frost is real! The others, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman... all of them! They're all real! If you don't believe me, try asking Sophie. Ask her if she believes in the Easter Bunny!"

Jack chuckled. "Bunny still thinks of her. He calls her 'ankle-biter'."

"He calls her 'ankle-biter'!" Jamie told his mother. There was a hint of desperation. He didn't want his mother thinking he was mad. He didn't need a psychiatrist. He wasn't seeing things.

Mrs. Bennett looked confused. "Ankle-what? Seriously, Jamie..."

"I can tell you how Jack Frost looks like," Jamie said, all of a sudden. Jack raised an eyebrow. "In fact, I can show you how Jack Frost looks like. Actually, I can show you who Jack Frost is. Or... was."

Jack looked up at the portrait of himself and smiled. Attaboy Jamie. But as he turned back to the two Bennetts, a thought crossed his mind. His smile faded.

Mrs. Bennett looked at her son disbelievingly. "Where, dear?"

Jamie turned and gestured at the portrait of Jackson Overland. "That's Jack Frost," he said, oblivious to the fact that Jack was trying to stop him from saying it. If Jamie told his mother the story of Jackson Overland dying and being resurrected as Jack Frost, Mrs. Bennett would think him mad for sure.

Mrs. Bennett looked up at the portrait. "What a handsome boy," she commented.

"Thank you," Jack said, smiling and bowing like a gentleman before turning back to Jamie. "Do you think your mother would believe my tale?" he asked the boy.

"Are you saying Jack Frost looks a little like this boy?" Mrs. Bennett asked, looking down at the name and date. "Poor boy, he died young."

"No, mom, that's..." Jamie trailed off as Jack advised him not to relate the whole tale. "Erm... yeah, he looks something like that boy. Jackson Overland. Namesakes, huh?" Jamie smiled.

Mrs. Bennett shook her head. "Seriously, Jamie..." she trailed off as Sophie came running up the stairs. She saw Jack, who smiled at her. Mrs. Bennett noticed Sophie staring at nothing and gave her a look.

"Why are you here, Sophie?" Mrs. Bennett asked.

Sophie looked at Jack once more and smiled before turning back to her mother. "It's Estella. The doctor came and said she won't last the night."

** That's it for this chapter! So Jack and Jamie are blood-related... (It's semi-canon, it's on the Wikia). Thanks for reading and reviewing, and favouriting and alerting! :-D It means a lot! **

** North will probably be in the next one. Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

Mrs. Bennett and Sophie instantly hurried down the stairs. Halfway down, Mrs. Bennett turned and called up to her son, "Jamie, put on your coat, will you? There's a slight chill in the air."

Jamie turned to Jack, grinning. "It seems my mom can't see you here, but she can definitely feel you," he said. Jack grinned back, but then Jamie's smile faded. "That was my cousin. The one I told you who was dying. Do you want to see her?"

Jack shook his head. "I don't think I should," he said. "After all, I emanate coldness, and I think your cousin shouldn't have anymore of that, don't you think?"

Jamie thought it made sense, but then another thought crossed his mind. He remembered what his aunt had said on the first day. Estella believed in the Guardians with all her heart though her mother had tried to reason with her. Jamie then remembered something else. "Just a second, Jack," he said. He hurried back up the stairs. The Guardian of Fun flew up. Jamie ran into his bedroom and grabbed the _Guardians of Childhood_ books. Upon checking the back inside cover of every book, he was soon aware of who its previous owner had been. For on the back of each book, a name had been scrawled there. _Estella Warren_.

"Warren?" Jack asked, smiling. "I'll remember to tell Bunny that."

Jamie grinned. But again, that grin seemed to fade as soon as it appeared. "Jack, I think you should see my cousin. She believes in the Guardians, and I think it would be a real treat if she could see Jack Frost before she dies."

The two of them hurried down to the room in which Estella lay. They waited till the adults cleared off but Mrs. Warren stayed, seated herself in an armchair by the fire, and gazed into it. Jamie noticed that she was about to doze off. He entered with Jack. Mrs. Warren looked up and smiled at Jamie.

"Close the door, Jamie Bennett, there's a slight chill in the air," she said. Jamie obeyed, though he knew closing the door would not keep out the chill as the source of the chill was in the very room. He waited till his aunt had completely fallen asleep before making his way to the four-poster bed. He parted the hangings.

Estella was awake and staring up at the ceiling. "Jamie Bennett?" she asked, turning slightly. "And who's that?" She pointed at Jack.

Jamie's heart thudded in his chest. Could she see Jack? Well, of course, she believed in Jack Frost! "It's Jack Frost," Jamie whispered. "You believe in him, don't you?"

"Of course," Estella replied. "But Jack Frost? Spirit of winter? How do you know him, Jamie? I thought these... guardians don't show themselves to the children."

"We do, but only during rare circumstances," Jack said. "As for Jamie, the other Guardians were accidentally caught by him. Which is why he never stopped believing in us. And he was my first believer."

"Mom and everyone, all the adults, they always said Jack Frost was just a figure of speech, an expression," said Estella, smiling weakly. "I see now that they are wrong and I was right."

"The others exist, too," Jack said. "Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and the Easter Bunny." He frosted a glass on the bedside table and traced shapes of the Guardians in it before making them come alive. They hovered above the dying girl who watched them with amusement. She touched one of them and it exploded into tiny flakes of snow.

"Santa Claus?" she asked. "If he exists, does that mean he'll be visiting on Christmas?"

"Perhaps he will, if you're on the 'Nice' list," Jack responded, grinning. "But I know him, so perhaps I could tell him to drop by here."

Estella smiled as she watched the other figures. "Then I have to live till then. I do want to see Santa Claus," she said. "I've believed in him for a long time, I do want to see him."

"Sleep well, then," Jack said. "Christmas will soon be along. Perhaps when Easter comes, you might be able to catch the Easter Bunny. He's full of himself and all, but he's still a nice soul."

"I don't think I'll be able to stay that long," Estella said, as she took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Jack will get the Sandman to create good dreams for you tonight," Jamie said.

"Oh don't worry about that, I do have good dreams every night," Estella said. "I do wish I could see the Easter Bunny, though. Does he look like this?" She pointed up at the figure of a rabbit.

"Not really," Jamie said, smiling at the thought of Bunnymund. "He's really tall, about six feet..."

"Six foot one," Jack said.

"... yeah, six foot one, and he has this boomerang and exploding egg bombs and he's really cool! He hides the Easter eggs, you have been hunts, haven't you?"

Estella nodded. "You mean to say the eggs I find have all been hidden by the Easter Bunny?"

Jamie nodded. "Yes!"

Estella's smile faded. "What a shame. Mom makes me throw them all away. She doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny."

"You know what?" Jamie said. "I'll tell you all about the Guardians and about this crazy adventure I had with them a few years back! Sophie and my friends were involved, too!"

Estella's eyes lit up. "You've met the others?"

"Yes!" Jamie replied, enthusiastically. "And Jack here was like the protagonist of the story... you see, there was the Pitch Black, the Boogeyman or the Nightmare King..." And so, for the rest of the night, Jamie and Jack sat there, retelling their tale. Estella thought it was too good to be true, but somehow she knew it was all real. After all, here was Jack Frost. Who resembled Jackson Overland.

When Jamie had finished the tale, Estella finally understood. "Jackson Overland died and he was resurrected as Jack Frost," she said. Jack nodded.

"That's me," he said, grinning.

Estella smiled. "I'm in the presence of an ancestor," she laughed. All three of them shared a laugh.

Estella coughed once more. "I think I should go to sleep. Thanks for sharing your story with me, Jamie Bennett. I wish I had been part of it. And I can't wait for Christmas, when I will be able to see Santa Claus for the first time." Estella inhaled deeply once more, as her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. Jamie and Jack watched for a moment, before they saw some golden sand drifting in through the window (despite it being closed) and dreams formed above Estella's head. She smiled in her sleep.

Jamie returned to his room and after saying goodnight to the boy, Jack flew off. The next morning, Jamie was awaken by Sophie.

"What's up?" he groaned, feeling groggy. "What time is it now?"

"Eight in the morning," Sophie said. "I just woke you up to tell you that Estella died in the night. Mrs. Warren doesn't want to celebrate Christmas anymore."

** Looks like North will only be appearing in the next one. He will still come, despite the Warrens not celebrating Christmas. Thanks for reading and please review! Sorry if some of them seem out-of-character and if the chapter harps too much on an OC. Thanks for reading and please review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry about the girl's death, and as for Mrs. Warren not wanting to celebrate Christmas, it's just part of a character.**

* * *

Jamie stared out of his window, feeling rather gloomy. His mood matched that of his surroundings, the house was dimly lit once more without a single Christmas decoration in sight nor a tree, and outside, the winter wind was howling once more.

Unlike most other 14- year olds, Jamie didn't have any gadgets of his own as his father had forbid them till he was at least 15, and therefore, he was often bored and had to resort to books or films. Today, however, no book could help take his mind off recent happenings. It was Christmas Eve. Estella died. Mrs. Warren wanted to call of Christmas.

"But no one can call off Christmas, right, Sophie?" Jamie asked his sister, who was playing with a toy on her bed. The girl just shrugged.

"Is it okay to celebrate Christmas after a recent death?" she responded.

Jamie looked out at the blizzard. He wished Jack could come along right then and there. The boy exited his room and hurried to the living room where his parents sat, conversing in low voices.

"Mom? Dad?" Jamie called.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett turned. Jamie walked over to them. "Are we really not going to have Christmas?" he asked.

"We wish we could, but we can't now," Mrs. Bennett said. "I'm sorry, Jamie."

"But Estella would've wanted us to go on with the celebrations! We can't not have Christmas this year! Why don't we just go back to Burgess?"

"Son, do you know that there's a blizzard outside? Do you think we could travel in that?" reasoned Mr. Bennett. "And your aunt is not in the mood for Christmas. Would you be if your closest companion or a good friend died right before Christmas?"

Jamie tried to imagine Jack leaving him for good right before Christmas. It did seem pretty terrible. But Jamie didn't want to just forget about Christmas. He didn't say another word and left for the library. The library and his bedroom were the two most-visited places of his in the whole manor. The place was gloomy and Jamie wondered how it would seem like, covered in Christmas decorations, with a brightly-lit tree and stockings hanging all around. It would probably still seem gloomy.

A thought crossed the boy's mind as he pushed open the large heavy (but fancy) door to the library and gazed at all the books sitting gloomily in their shelves. What if he took Christmas into his own hands? Decorated the house on his own, put up the Christmas tree and hang the stockings, perhaps with Sophie's help and what about Jack? He could get the winter spirit to help out as well, in between his busy bringing-joy-to-children schedule. If Jamie was not mistaken, his aunt kept most of the Christmas decorations in the attic.

He raced out of the library and headed to a flight of stairs which would take him to the third-floor. He wasn't very familiar with the place, but he had taken a wrong turning a few days back on the way to the bathroom and ended up near the attic. So he had a pretty vague idea of its location. He hurried down the third-floor corridor. It was the most gloomy part of the whole manor, as with only Mrs. Warren and her daughter living there, not every part of the house was visited every day. The portraits lining the walls were covered in dust and cobwebs. It seemed the servants rarely came up here. But then again, there weren't many servants. The doors were chipped and looked pretty worn. Some were shut tight, others stood ajar, revealing empty, unused, dusty rooms beyond. Jamie hurried on till he came to where a metal spiral staircase wound up, leading to the attic. He slowly ascended, wondering how he was going to bring a whole load of Christmas decorations down.

He sneezed a few times upon entering the dusty attic and brought his scarf up around the lower half of his face and began looking around all the boxes cluttered up. Opening up a few unsealed ones, he noticed that most of them held books. Fantasy books. They were from the library. And they were all here. Jamie guessed that was why there had hardly been any fantasy books in the library. He searched through a few more boxes before finally spotting a few in the corner with the words 'Christmas decorations' printed on them. Jamie was delighted to find baubles and other Christmas decorations inside the boxes. He was about to go through another box when he heard footsteps on the metal stairs leading up to the attic. He froze, wondering who it was. The footsteps grew louder and louder and then someone entered the attic.

"Master Jamie?"

The 14-year old heaved an inaudible sigh of relief as he turned to face one of the housemaids. She was looking at him in a rather curious way and noticed that some of the boxes had been opened while others had been moved around. She noticed him standing near the Christmas decorations.

"Master Jamie, you do know that your aunt has forbidden Christmas this year," she said, sighing. "Poor Miss Estella. She's always suffering, even since she was a little girl." The housemaid began shifting the boxes back to where they formerly were. "There's no use in trying to change her mind, Master Jamie. I've worked here since before Miss Estella was born and I know very well that when Mrs. Warren has made up her mind, there is nothing which can change it."

"Maybe it's possible," Jamie said. The housemaid looked up in surprise. "Maybe if we decorate the whole house and filled with festive spirit, maybe she will change her mind. You can't forbid Christmas. Probably even Santa Claus can't do that!"

The housemaid raised an eyebrow. "You believe in Santa Claus?" she asked, a small smile creeping across her face. Jamie nodded. "My dear boy, you're already fourteen, surely you don't believe in all these fairy tales any longer? I thought they were nothing but figments of our imagination."

"They're real," Jamie said, firmly. "You don't see them because you don't believe.

The housemaid smiled, shaking her head. "Oh I used to believe in them, alright. But I never saw any of them. Santa Claus? My family and I celebrated Christmas for so many consecutive years without fail; in fact, last year was the last year we celebrated Christmas together. We were never visited by Santa Claus. Easter Bunny? Well, I guess I wouldn't know much about him seeing as I don't celebrate Easter and could never be bothered about egg hunts when I was a kid, but I know for sure the Tooth Fairy isn't real. I had all my teeth till about four years ago when I threw them all away."

Jamie frowned. "But they're real. I saw them. Perhaps on Christmas night, Santa Claus will come."

The housemaid looked up at Jamie. "You remind a lot about myself when I was younger. When everyone would tell me those fairy tales weren't real, I kept insisting they were. Of course, I was proven wrong year after year." She paused as she continued moving the boxes. She reached the Christmas decorations, but Jamie blocked the way.

"I'm not just throwing my Christmas away," he said. "Just like you and your family, my family and I have never failed to celebrate Christmas every year. I'm not going to not celebrate this year."

The housemaid sighed again. "Mrs. Warren thinks celebrating Christmas will be an insult to Miss Estella's memory. Holidays have been gloomier than ever since the master died. Mrs. Warren might never celebrate Christmas again because it will always remind her of Miss Estella. But, if you really want to celebrate Christmas this year, there is someplace I should bring you to."

Jamie looked up. "Someplace? But I was talking about Christmas here! And what about the plague?"

"I seriously do not think it is the snow. Mrs. Warren has gotten it all wrong. Miss Estella is hardly ever allowed to go out anyway. And there's no way you can celebrate Christmas here, Master Jamie. Perhaps you could bring along your parents and sister to a town nearby. It is where I live and I used to go back every year for the festive season."

"You mean, join your family?"

"No, not really. You can join the townsfolk there in caroling, giving presents to the poor... after all, Christmas is a time of giving, is it not?"

"But what if my parents don't want to go? That's pretty likely seeing that they don't want to hurt Mrs. Warren, blah blah blah..."

"Why don't you think about it?" the housemaid responded. "It's between wasting Christmas and celebrating it with strangers. Get out of this attic as soon as you can, and don't move anything." With that, the housemaid left. Jamie listened to her footsteps on the metal stairs. He moved his gaze to the grimy attic window, outside where he could see the snow falling fast.

**Not a very good chapter, in my opinion, but hope you liked it! So, gloomy manor or cheery town? **

** Thanks for reading and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

It was Christmas eve. Snow fell thickly outside the manor and the winter wind could be heard crying loudly even from indoors. The temperature had dropped and a blizzard had been predicted in the weather forecast. There was a lot on Jamie's mind. The housemaid's words kept replaying themselves in his head. She had believed, and nothing happened. But they were real. Jamie was so sure of that. He had seen them, felt them, he knew they were real. He longed to see them again, and ask them if they had made allowances for any children.

But there were also other things on his mind, one of them being the Guardian of Fun, who hadn't visited him since their last meeting. Another thing was the blizzard. Was Jack responsible for the blizzard? If there was a blizzard, Jamie wouldn't be able to go down to the little town nearby and the housemaid wouldn't get home to her family for Christmas. Jamie didn't want to spend his Christmas shut inside a gloomy manor with absolutely nothing to do. Even if North came he wouldn't be able to have a conversation with the Guardian, given how busy he was.

The adults were in the reading room where they seem to spend most of their time. Apparently the Bennetts found Mrs. Warren rather interesting and humorous, or so Jamie heard, and they just had so much talking and catching up to do. Sophie was not exactly a good companion either, as she was often too busy playing with toys.

Jamie peered around the door of the reading room, which was slightly ajar. Voices could be heard coming from within it. He was about to enter when he remembered what his aunt thought of children (and even adults) who do not knock before entering a particular room. The 14-year old rapped on the old oak door.

"Jamie Bennett? Well, come on in," came Mrs. Warren's voice. Jamie entered and awkwardly stood in the doorway, facing the three adults who were sitting in chaise armchairs by the fireplace (which wasn't lit).

"What do you want, Jamie?" asked Mrs. Bennett, gently.

My Christmas, Jamie was tempted to answer. Instead he said, "Can I please go to the town nearby? Tonight? And I'll probably return by tomorrow? There's not much to do around here. Please? I'm not going alone, if you were wondering. I'm going with Maeve." He didn't say anything about Christmas.

Mrs. Warren raised an eyebrow. "Maeve? Maeve, as in the housemaid?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Please?"

"No, Jamie, you might lose your way. And there's an upcoming blizzard, or haven't you heard? Something could happen to you there. The town might not be safe," Mrs. Bennett responded.

"But I'm 14!" Jamie protested. "I can take care of myself."

"But there's going to be a blizzard," said Mr. Bennett. "And old or young, you'll lose your way in that. And I doubt Maeve would be going."

"Well, there isn't exactly anything I can do here!"

"Read a book, play with your sister... there's plenty of things you can do, Jamie," said Mrs. Bennett. "Or you can even join us here."

"No thanks," Jamie replied, slightly bitterly before leaving. He hurried back to his bedroom.

"What's with the gloomy look?"

Jamie looked up and was filled with instant delight upon seeing Jack. The Guardian of Fun stood by the window, leaning against the wall. His staff was propped up against the wall as well.

"Jack! How did you get in?" Jamie inquired, although it didn't really matter. What mattered most was that Jack was here.

"Sophie was in here earlier, and she let me in. I would've come in on my own anyway, this place, in a way is partially mine, too, right?" Jack flashed a mischievous grin.

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"Jackson Overland is one of your ancestors, Jamie, and it so happens that he and I are the same person," Jack smiled. Jamie finally got it and beamed back.

"It's so odd," he said. "But cool in a way."

Jack nodded. He picked up his staff and looked around. "So, what's with the place? No Christmas tree, no Christmas lights and I don't see any presents nor any stockings," he said. "It's Christmas Eve. You're late." Jack grinned at Jamie, but the grin instantly faded when he saw the boy's face. "Hey, what happened?" Jack asked, gently.

Jamie flopped down onto his bed and sighed. "My cousin died. And now my aunt has forbidden Christmas, even though we all know no one can do such a thing. Well, she doesn't want to celebrate and we're all forbidden to celebrate, too. Maybe you should warn North beforehand so he doesn't get a shock when he sees this place. That is, if he is coming."

"Of course he'll come!' Jack replied. "You're on the 'Nice' list this year, so congratulations. And as for Christmas, why don't you celebrate it on your own?"

"My aunt will go ballistic," Jamie said. "But there was this housemaid who talked of a town nearby. She said she could bring me there when she returned to her family for Christmas. She lives there, but there's probably going to be a blizzard and my mom says the town might not be safe, blah, blah, blah, and I can't go."

Jack laughed. "A blizzard? You're worried about a blizzard? I was planning a blizzard tonight, but I could change my mind." He gave Jamie an encouraging smile.

"Make all the blizzards you want, Jack, my parents are never letting me go," Jamie said, lying down on his bed. "My Christmas is ruined." He sat up all of a sudden. "Unless you can stay?"

Jack shrugged. "Perhaps," he said.

Jamie beamed. "Or perhaps you could take me to the town. My parents are too busy chatting with Mrs. Warren to actually realise I'm gone," he went on.

"Sure. It'll be fun," Jack grinned. "But we should be back before nightfall because I'm sure your parents would come to check if you're in bed or not."

Jamie's face fell. "I was thinking of staying there till tomorrow morning," he said. "To celebrate Christmas. But it still beats hanging around here." He got up. "Let's go."

...

The town was rather small, almost resembling a village. It was peopled by merry townsfolk who lived in small brick houses lining the cobbled streets. Bicycles were their main mode of transport. As Jamie and Jack approached, they could see bright lights and banners with Christmas greetings printed on them. In the centre of the town a tall, heavily-decorated Christmas tree had been erected. The mellifluous sound of a choir singing Christmas carols floated through the air towards them. Jamie's spirits lifted. Jack smiled as he noticed the change on the boy's face.

"Hm, looks like I can take over Bunny's job, don't you think? Bringing hope to people?" Jack said. Jamie laughed before quickening his pace.

"Come on, Jack! If I have to be back by nightfall, I'd better get down to having fun!" Jamie called over his shoulder. A lady passed him at that moment and gave him a weird look, but she kept on her smile.

"Who are you talking to, young man?" she asked.

"Jack Frost!" Jamie replied, without giving much thought. He was horrified when he realised what he had said. The lady was probably going to think he was mad or something, as she probably couldn't see Jack.

However, the lady merely laughed. "What an imaginative boy! We all have imaginary friends, don't we, young man?"

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "You mean... you approve? I thought all adults thought having imaginary friends was unhealthy." Jamie thought of all the lectures he had received from his mom and dad about talking to himself. Well, he didn't actually talk to himself. He was just talking to his toys.

The lady smiled. Jamie noticed that she looked years older than him, probably in her late forties. She seemed familiar, but the boy could not really place it at that moment. "Without the imagination the world is nothing, my boy," she said. "Aren't you excited for Christmas? I really do hope Santa Claus comes this year! He has never visited us, but we never stop hoping. Where did you come from?"

"The manor," Jamie said, gesturing in the direction of the manor as Jack joined him. "It's quite near here. Have you seen it before?"

The lady nodded. "My daughter works there as a housemaid. Her name's Maeve. Have you met her?"

Jamie broke into a huge smile. "Yes, yes! She's the one who told me about this place!" He was finally able to tell why he found the lady familiar.

"Ah, I see!" responded Maeve's mother. "We're waiting for her. There might be a blizzard tonight, but we're hoping it won't happen so she can come back for Christmas. Now, why don't you come into my house, it isn't far from here, out of this bitter cold?"

As Jamie began following the lady, he felt a chill on the left side of his face as Jack whispered in his ear. "I'm going someplace. It's kind of important. I'll be back very soon, so don't worry." With that, the Guardian of Fun flew off with the wind.

...

"Master Jamie! I can't believe you're here!" exclaimed Maeve, as her mother opened the door, letting her in before instantly shutting it again. Maeve looked simply delighted to see the boy. She took off her coat and sat down on the couch in the living room, across from where Jamie sat, looking perfectly contented. "How did you find your way? Your parents are not here, are they? I thought I saw them earlier in the reading room."

Jamie shook his head. "Someone showed me the way here. My parents are at the manor. They're not looking for me, are they?" he asked.

"No," Maeve replied. "But they will be soon, I think. It is almost dinner time."

Jamie looked disappointed. Maeve noticed the look on his face. She smiled.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll ring them up and tell them exactly where you are and that you're perfectly safe here, with my family and I. Perhaps you might even be permitted to stay the night and have dinner with us!"

Jamie beamed. "That's great! Thanks, Maeve! But... you have telephones here? And reception?"

Mrs. O'Connell, Maeve's mother, happened to be passing through at that moment and overheard part of their conversation. "No need to be so insulting," she said, smirking slightly. "Of course we do. Just because we live in Snow Land doesn't mean we're still living in the 18th century."

And so Jamie's parents were rung up. It was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission and they finally consented after he spoke and pleaded with them. He was careful not to mention anything about Christmas.

Jamie spent the rest of the night with the O'Connells, telling jokes, singing Christmas carols, telling Christmas stories and watching a Christmas movie on their small television which Jamie was sure was no bigger than an ice box. When it was time for bed, they gave him a small room with a single bed and an empty cupboard. Apparently, it was the guest room.

As the 14- year old snuggled beneath the blankets, he wondered where Jack had gone and why the Guardian wasn't back yet. Jamie was pretty sure it was almost midnight. He tried to go to sleep, but he was too excited about celebrating Christmas in a place he had never been in. He tossed and turned for a little while, before he saw a figure fly past the window. He sat up in his bed.

"Jack!" he exclaimed softly, keeping his volume down so as not to wake the O'Connells. He got out of bed and hurried to the window. No one was out there, but a moment later, Jack appeared and frost began swirling on the pane.

Jamie hurriedly put on his coat and got out through the window. "Where did you go?" he asked. Jack smirked and pointed upwards. Jamie looked up and saw a sleigh drawn by flying reindeers.

"I heard what the lady said about Santa Claus not visiting them," Jack said. "So I went to see North and demanded he came here."

At that moment, North walked up to the two of them, having parked his sleigh on the roof. "Hello there!" he greeted Jamie.

"Are you going to deliver presents to these people?" Jamie asked.

"Yes. I've never stopped here before, I just realised. Would you like to help?"

Jamie beamed. "With pleasure!" he answered.

...

"So, what do you think happened?"

Jamie had just finished telling Maeve's story to the two Guardians as they placed the presents for the O'Connells beneath their Christmas tree, which was in the living room, where Maeve was sleeping. As the house had insufficient bedrooms, due to the number of siblings Maeve had, she had to sleep in the living room though Jamie had the feeling that the 'guest room' he was using was Maeve's. Their house was the last and North began preparing to travel again.

"If that's the case..." North began, looking down on the lady. She didnt stir, as all of them were weary and the weather was cold. He dug in his coat pockets and produced a few coins which he placed on the end table. "I still have those coins from four years ago," he said, winking at Jack, who grinned. "That's less than what Tooth owes her, but I guess you can help me write a note," he said to Jamie. The boy nodded. "Merry Christmas."

**Thanks for reading and please review! **


	8. Chapter 8

The early morning sun bore down relentlessly on the people of Burgess as they hurried to their destinations, going about their daily routines. The long-awaited summer had finally arrived, but now that it was in Burgess, the people wished it was autumn. The year's summer was hot, reaching up to almost 40 degrees.

School was out for the summer and Mrs. Bennett was pestering her son to get a summer job. Jamie never liked the heat of summer; he preferred winter, playing in the snow, building snowmen, sledding but most of all, winter reminded him of a certain friend of his whom not everyone could see.

As he lay in bed, wide awake, but too lazy to get out just yet, he stared up at the ceiling. His thoughts wandered to the events of two winters back. The stay at the Warren. His aunt's manor was called 'the Warren' which was just ironic as the realm of the Easter Bunny was of the same name and they were so different. One place was cheery and bright and brought hope to anyone who set foot in it (although Jamie had never actually seen it before, he heard a lot about it from Jack Frost and Sophie) while the other was dark, foreboding and gloomy.

Jack Frost. Jamie had never stopped believing in him, or any of the other Guardians for that matter. But every time he thought about the winter spirit, it was a different feeling altogether. He couldn't forget the fact that he was actually related to him. It felt so strange, so abnormal. But of course, whenever he met the Guardian, all those thoughts vanished as they went out to have a little fun.

It was summer, and Jamie wasn't sure if Jack would visit him ever so often. He didn't think the winter spirit would be able to withstand the hot weather. But Jack could ride with the wind, right? Jamie scrambled out of bed and headed towards his bedroom window. Looking out, he observed that the plants and trees were perfectly still. No wind. No such luck.

"Jamie Bennett!"

Jamie groaned. He hated even summer mornings for he would be forced to rise early. Despite being almost seventeen years of age, he was still under his mother's thumb. He dragged himself to the bathroom and was in the dining room several minutes later.

"Guess what, Jamie?" beamed Sophie when he came down. She held up a tooth. "My last tooth!"

"So you're hiding it under your pillow tonight?" Jamie asked, as he got himself some breakfast. Waffles. Well, something new at least.

Mrs. Bennett chuckled. "Jamie Bennett, you're sixteen, going in seventeen. Surely you don't still believe in all those fairy tales? Even Sophie doesn't, anymore."

Jamie gaped at both his sister and mother. "How can you not believe?" he gasped.

Mrs. Bennett raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Jamie?"

Jamie pointed a rather accusing finger at Sophie. "You're still only eleven! How can you not still believe? Don't you remember the Easter Bunny? You hung out with him a lot when you were little!"

Mrs. Bennett turned to face her son. "Jamie, what is wrong? Why are you so keen on all these fairy tales? Even two years ago, when we were at your aunt's manor, you keep insisting they were real! Grow up, Jamie!"

"Yeah, grow up!" Sophie agreed, earning herself a glare from her brother. Jamie watched, horrified, as she dropped her tooth into the wastepaper basket. "I don't need it," Sophie said, looking rather pleased.

Jamie's fury had gone up a notch and he tried his very best to stay calm as he ate his waffles. Once everyone was out of the kitchen, he rummaged through the contents of the wastepaper basket, not caring how dirty or slimy they were and didn't stop till he found his sister's tooth. He then proceeded to rinse it and wash his hands thoroughly as well.

Tooth would always know whenever there was a new fallen tooth. One of her baby teeth would come and Jamie would hand it to them.


	9. Chapter 9

Jamie couldn't actually believe that his sister would stop believing. When they were younger, their mother didn't mind them believing at all, but now she seemed to be so against it. The 16-year old couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the trip to the manor two years back. But it couldn't be for his friends' beliefs were fading.

"Pippa!" Jamie called to one of his childhood friends and one of the few of them who had been there on the night they fought the Boogeyman with the five Guardians. The 16-year old girl turned, looking much like the girl she was before, but much more grown-up. She seemed to be heading somewhere with a group of girls who were waiting for her at the edge of the park.

"Jamie Bennett!" she called back, flashing a smile. "What a hot summer it is, don't you think?"

"Yeah!" Jamie responded, grinning back. "I think that's why Jack can't visit Burgess, I think he would melt!"

Pippa raised an eyebrow, her smile retained. "Jack? Who's Jack?"

Jamie gave her a look. "Who's Jack?" he echoed. "Jack Frost? The Guardian?"

It was Pippa's turn to give Jamie a look. "What are you talking about, Jamie Bennett?" she asked, shaking her head slightly. She seemed to be smirking. "There's no such person as Jack Frost. It's just a figure of speech, right? Are you okay? Has the heat gotten to you?"

Jamie gaped at her. "You mean, you don't remember?" he asked, shocked. "I know it may be, like, six years ago, but it's not exactly something that's so easily forgotten! You don't remember the Boogeyman? All that Dreamsand? Those huge golden things? Snowball fights with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy? What about..."

"Jamie Bennett. Of course I do remember. But it all seemed too surreal. I think it was just a dream. If you'll please excuse me, I have to go." She cast one more glance in his direction before hurrying off to join her group of friends.

Jamie watched her go for a while before turning and flopping down onto the park bench. Why was everyone not believing? He noticed someone walk by and his spirits were lifted. Perhaps someone still believed, besides himself!

"Cupcake!" he called, waving.

The 17-year old turned, looking slighly startled. She had changed a lot in the past six years and was no longer the big mean girl. She smiled slightly upon seeing Jamie. "Jamie! Great to see you! Hanging out on your own?"

Jamie got to his feet. "Cupcake, do you still remember the events of a night six years ago with a whole lot of Dreamsand and Guardians?" He crossed his fingers behind his back.

Cupcake looked confused for a moment, before she finally got it. "Oh, that night? Why yes, I do still remember, how could anyone forget that?" She smiled. "I remember unicorns made out of sand, large egg sentinels, and the Tooth Fairy... yeah. But seriously, I don't really like unicorns all that much anymore."

"But do you still believe in the Guardians?" he asked.

Cupcake shrugged. "I guess I can't really say. I mean, am I supposed to daydream at a crucial age like this? We've got other things to think about! But technically..." She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Jamie. "I do still believe. But don't tell anyone that, will you? It makes me look weak." She flashed another smile. "Gotta go! Catch ya later!"

Jamie groaned and sank back onto the park bench.

...

It was past midnight. Jamie lay awake in bed, Sophie's last tooth clutched in his fist. He listened to the sounds of his parents watching a movie downstairs and tried hard to stay awake as he heard the sounds of the television being turned off and his parents heading up the stairs to their bedroom. He hoped Tooth or one of her baby teeth hadn't come and gone. He waited till the hall lights were turned off before creeping out of bed.

He entered Sophie's room, the door creaking ever so slightly as it was opened. He tiptoed in and sat in the darkness by the window. The curtains had been drawn across. He shrank back into the darkness as far as possible so is Sophie happened to wake up due to a full bladder or anything else, he wouldn't be seen.

Unless she turned on all the lights.

Jamie waited, watching the time on Sophie's digital clock. 00.42. 1.10. 1.30. Where was Tooth? Surely she was coming?

Then, he saw something fly past and stopped at the window. He looked out to see that it was one of the baby teeth. He opened the window slightly, letting in the fairy and instantly holding out the tooth to her.

"Can I see Tooth? Or the other Guardians?" he asked.

The baby tooth looked confused, but Jamie merely said, "Just go back and tell the Tooth Fairy I would like to see her. I'm Jamie Bennett."

The fairy nodded and flew out and Jamie stared after it. He wondered how many others would be able to see her. He had to talk to the Guardians, to see if they were alright; what with all these beliefs which were fading fast.

A movement caused him to look up and he heaved an inaudible sigh of relief as he saw Sophie roll onto her side. He decided to leave and get some sleep. He had always loved the summer, but now he hated it as it kept him away from Jack. But he couldn't help wondering if Jack was still able to visit him despite the hot weather.

**I have decided that this story will span out for many years, taking Jamie through his whole life, to his twilight years and his relationship with the Guardians. So, do you think Jack is still able to visit him despite hot weather?**

* * *

** To Ardent Aspen: Sort of. I actually meant to state that in the author's note, but I forgot. **

** To Alana-kittychan: Did that really happen? O.O I used to put my fallen tooth under my pillow as well, but no Tooth Fairy ever visited me. My country has cents and coins as well as notes; I used to think the Tooth Fairy would leave me like 20 cents or something, because we don't have a whole 25 cent coin. :-) **


	10. Chapter 10

Jack whizzed around the city, freezing pipes and drinking fountains and leaving swirly frost patterns on windows and walls, even on the streets, causing several people to skid as they walked. Jack had the sense not to freeze the streets, if cars instead of people skidded, the end result was not going to be good.

He flew up to a tall building and listened as the wind howled. Despite it being summer in Burgess, he would still be able to return by travelling on the light summer breeze. "Wind! Take me home!" he called out to the crying winter wind. The next thing he knew, he was being whipped into the air, floating easily as the wind carried him back to Burgess.

Jack Frost was hardly ever tired with his job of bringing joy and fun to kids. He was never tired of spreading frost, snow and executing mischievous deeds in places where not many still believed in him and travelling with the wind. Unlike the other Guardians, he didn't always had a routine. His job involved fun and that was one thing the other Guardians may lack once in a while. North was always busy making toys and preparing for Christmas. And once Christmas was over, he would begin preparing for the next. The same went for Bunnymund. Jack couldn't help but snicker at times when he thought about the Easter Bunny in his Warren, with only egg minions as company. And they don't even talk. Tooth and Sandy worked every night, collecting teeth and bringing dreams. As Jack flew, he could see trails of Dreamsand spreading, reaching out to the children fast asleep in their beds. If he looked carefully, he would see the baby teeth out and about.

He landed in Burgess, where a new day was just about to dawn. It had been some time since he had last visited Jamie. As Jack settled himself atop the monument in the park, looking out over the surrounding part of Burgess which was just waking up, his thoughts wandered. He couldn't help but think about how much Jamie had grown. Six years have flown by so fast. Jack felt a little nostalgic, thinking about it. He had never gotten this close to a kid before, and neither have any of the other Guardians, unless you count Bunnymund and Sophie. Another thing which disturbed Jack was that he and Jamie were distantly-related. And the boy did look a considerable lot like his sister, which was rather distracting.

Once the sun was high up in the sky and the whole of Burgess was up and about, Jack flew over to Jamie's house. He peeked in at his window but was rather surprised to see Sophie there instead. The window was wide open, so Jack merely flew in and landed on the carpeted floor.

Sophie did not look up. She seemed to be fiddling about with some of Jamie's belongings and was giggling to herself. Jack couldn't help but think she was up to something mischievous. Did she really want to end up in North's 'Naughty' list at the end of the year?

"Sophie, what are you doing?" Jack asked, smiling slightly, to himself. Sophie did not look up. She stood, however, and head out of the room. Jack watched her go, wondering what had happened.

Had she stopped believing? Only one way to find out.

Jack hurried out of the room after the child, but bumped into Jamie instead. The 16- year old was startled and even more astonished when he saw who he had bumped into.

"Jack!" Jamie gaped. "You came!"

Jack grinned. "Of course I came. Do you think the summer heat can keep me away? Heat doesn't affect me."

Jamie returned the grin. They returned to Jamie's bedroom where Jack said, "I have a feeling Sophie can't see me anymore."

Jamie looked up and Jack instantly recognized the disappointed look on his boyish face. "Yeah. She doesn't believe any longer. I think my parents brainwashed her. She doesn't believe in any of you."

Jack was surprised. "Even Bunny?" he asked.

Jamie nodded. "Even Bunny." He picked up his jacket and was about to hang it up when he noticed a large hole in the side. He held it up to his face and could see Jack through it. "SOPHIE!" The 17- year old ran out onto the landing and thundered down the stairs. He was halfway down when he remembered the winter spirit. Turning, he came face to face with Jack, who had followed him. There was a look of worry on the Guardian's face.

"I guess this will have to wait," Jamie said, folding up his jacket. They headed back to the bedroom, in case one of Jamie's parents happened to be along and notice him talking to himself again. "My friends... most of them have stopped believing."

"That's bad," Jack said, almost to himself. "What if I lose all my believers? Will I have to be invisible and ignored once more?"

"No!" Jamie hurriedly responded. "I don't think so. You don't only have believers in Burgess, do you?"

Jack shrugged. "There are some who believe in Father Winter or Old Man Winter. I guess it does count. But how could your friends not believe? Did they forget what happened six years ago?"

Jamie shook his head. "They thought they must've dreamt or imagined the whole thing."

"How can they pass off something like that as a dream?"

"I don't know. But Cupcake still believes, but she's ashamed to say so."

"Ashamed?"

"I mean, she's seventeen, and not many teenagers believe in the Guardians anymore. I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack walked over to the window. "I'm sorry, Jamie, but I think there's somewhere I have to go." He looked over his shoulder at the boy, who looked rather disappointed but nodded all the same before taking off into the sky and made a beeline for the North Pole.

**Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and alerts! Hope you liked this chapter. I'm just playing along with reality. **


	11. Chapter 11

Jack leaned against his staff, a worried look on his face. North stood beside him, listening intently to every word he had said. "Well, that's what happened," Jack said.

North sighed and sat beside Jack. "We have been believed-in Guardians longer than you, Jack, and we understand that not all children will believe in us for the rest of their lives." North gestured up towards the giant globe where all the lights were. "I have observed the globe. A light goes out, another comes on. Children will not be children forever, Jack. They will stop believing. It is reality. But as they grow, more children are being born into this world. More children start believing. All those adults you see? They were children once. They believed. But that's ancient history for them. The same will go for Jamie and his friends. As for Sophie, there have been children who stop believing when they're around that age. But I think Bunny is not going to like it."

Jack said nothing, mulling about what North had just said. There was truth in it, no doubt. But Jack couldn't believe that Sophie and Jamie's friends who had been involved in the battle with Pitch would actually stop believing.

"There's something else," Jack said, finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, during which North had stayed silent and waited patiently as Jack thought all of it over. North raised an eyebrow. Jack then proceeded to tell him about his relationship with Jamie. How he had found out about how he was related to the boy at the manor six years ago.

"I never really told you about that," Jack said. "And there's also one more thing. That girl, Jamie's cousin. Estella Warren. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm partly to be blamed for her death. She was only twelve."

North looked at Jack. "Jack, we the Guardians are supposed to protect the children of the world, but even we, cannot save every child." North's eyes seemed glossy. He looked on the verge of tears, Jack noticed. North gestured at several newspapers which lay in a table nearby. Jack looked over and noticed different headlines on each of them. Headlines about plague, shooting, mass murders, all of which had stories attached to them, stories which reported a number of children's deaths. "We cannot save every child," North said, gently. "But we will protect and save those we can.

"And as for your relationship with Jamie, it is normal, Jack. We all have families out there. Everyone except Bunny, probably, but don't tell him I told you this. It might hurt him." Jack looked up at North. "Tooth definitely still has her descendants out there, roaming the world, probably some of them being children whose tooth she collects. Sandy was also someone before he became the Sandman, and he probably has distant living relatives living out there. Even me, Jack. We all had lives before we became Guardians. As for Bunny, there was a genocide. There isn't anyone out there who is related to him. It is normal that your sister would've grown up, Jack, and gotten married, and had children. In fact, I think Jamie is not only your descendant, but he could also be your sister's reincarnation. Perhaps that is why you feel such a bond with him."

Jack didn't give an immediate reply. "Thanks, North," he finally said. "I should be going." With that, the Guardian of Fun flew out of the window and away, without a backward glance. North watched him go.

...

Jamie flipped through the Guardians of Childhood books which used to belong to Estella. Sophie was taking an afternoon nap. Jamie was trying to figure out a way to make her believe again, but none of his plans had worked. He had told her stories of the Guardians, but she just took them as exciting fairy tales. He had enthused to her about Christmas, but she had dismissed him by saying Christmas was a long way away. Jamie knew the last thing he could do was give her the books as a gift, but that may not even work.

A loud noise coming from downstairs interrupted his reverie. He hurried to the top of the stairs and listened.

"Do not think I have no idea what you're doing!" came his mother's voice. "You were out late last night! How dare you? How could you do such a thing?"

"Do you have any evidence? How can you prove..."

"Proof? Oh, I can give you proof alright! Now,..."

Jamie sighed silently, as he sat against the wall at the top of the stairs on the second-floor landing. His parents were arguing again. They seemed to do a lot of that lately. Jamie tuned out the rest of their conversation, merely sitting there, dreaming of the Guardians and wondered what had came over Jack. He wondered where the winter spirit had gone to and when he was coming back. He wondered if all of his friends had stopped believing. He wondered if Cupcake would stop believing because she thought it was embarrassing to still believe in such fairy tales. He certainly hoped not. He remembered six years ago, she had been the second one to stand up to Pitch, after him.

"Fine! Since we hate each other so much, let's just get a divorce!" yelled his father.

Jamie sat up straight, snapped out of his reverie and looked down the stairs in horror.

**It was stated in the Art of Rise of the Guardians book that Jamie and Sophie do not have a father. So I decided to add some family conflict. Hope you don't mind. Thanks for reading. Please review. **


	12. Chapter 12

Everyone sat in silence. Even Sophie could sense something was wrong and she remained silent. The only sounds which could be heard were the clinking of the cutlery and glasses. Jamie glanced up from his dinner at both his parents. They were not talking, not making eye contact, each acting like the other did not exist or wasn't there.

"Um... so, mom? Dad? We haven't... gone out as a family for some time... what do you say... we head to the beach this Sunday? It's summer after all," Jamie said, breaking the silence. He had to try to do something. He had to act nonchalant and normal, like he did not overhear their conversation. By the looks on his parents' faces, they seem to be on the verge of telling him and Sophie about their future 'plans' and he wanted to try to delay that for as long as possible. And perhaps, they might just about rethink their 'plans'.

"No, Jamie, I... I'm not free this Sunday," Mrs. Bennett said, struggling to speak. "And you should get a summer job instead of just idling about, daydreaming and reading fairy tales. You're already almost 17. Find something beneficial to occupy your time with."

Jamie remained silent. There was really no use in arguing with his mother about daydreaming and fairy tales. He turned to look at his father. The latter was avoiding his gaze and seemed to be much more interested in his mashed potatoes. Jamie realised that it was good enough they were still dining as a family.

"I have to go," Mr. Bennett said, all of a sudden, getting up. He hadn't finished his dinner, but brought the plate to the kitchen where he left it in the dishwasher. A moment later, he was out of the front door.

"Where's dad going?" Sophie inquired.

"Work stuff, I suppose," Mrs. Bennett said, shortly. She did not finish the last of her dinner. "Jamie, it's your turn to do the dishes today. And Sophie, remember to brush your teeth before you go to bed." Without another word, she got up and left the table.

...

There were not many plates in the sink for Jamie to rinse. The number didn't even touch the average of plates the Bennetts usually used for dinner or any other meal of the day.

Jamie's mind reeled as he turned on the tap. His father had obviously found someone else. That would definitely explain his late nights at 'his workplace'. Mrs. Bennett had been rather quiet and passive lately. As Jamie slowly did his job of doing the dishes, the tap water suddenly ran cold and froze and so did the rest of the water in the sink. Jamie yelped and drew out his hands in time.

"Jack!"

A mischievous chuckle could be heard behind him. The 16- year old turned to see another grinning teenager behind him, with a staff and white hair. "You came back. Where did you go?" Jamie asked. He managed a small smile though smiling was the last thing on his mind at that moment.

"To North's," Jack said, eyeing him. "What's wrong with you? Why so glum?"

Jamie didn't know how to explain to Jack. He turned back to the frozen sink. "Long story," he said. "Can you please unfreeze the water before my mom comes down and kill me?"

Still no smile. "Tell me what happened," Jack said, before waving his staff once and the water unfroze, though it was still rather cold. Jamie went on doing the dishes.

"My parents..."

"What about them?"

"They're... drifting apart."

Jack remained silent for a moment. "Well, they're just drifting apart. Perhaps there is something you can do to bring them back together again," he said, in an effort to bring back a smile on the 16- year old's face.

"My mom did mention a divorce," Jamie said, his tone filled with worry. Jack walked over to his side but took a few steps back when the water in the sink threatened to freeze again. Jamie finished doing the last of the dishes and turned back to Jack.

"I think my father... is seeing someone else." Jack watched as Jamie cleaned up the area before heading out into the dining room. The spirit of winter followed. Jamie sank onto one of the chairs. "My cousin died, Sophie stopped believing, my mother thinks I'm mad for believing in fairy tales at this age and now my parents are on the verge of a divorce. What's happening? Is Pitch back or something?"

"Well, I most certainly wish that was the case," Jack said. "Because then the Guardians and I will defeat him and your problems will be over. But so far, no, there has been no sign of Pitch Black."

A short silence filled the dining room.

"But I do know of a way to make Sophie believe again."

Jamie looked up. "How?"

Jack smiled. "Let's just say it's time to visit a friend. Wanna come with me?"

Jamie glanced dubiously up the stairs. "Well, I don't think I'll be missed," he said.

Jack smiled. "We'll be as quick as a bunny," he said, his smile widening into a mischievous grin. "Or should I say... two bunnies."

**Please review. **

** To Guest: That... I'm not so sure about. I don't have the art book (Although I do wish I have it). I just read somewhere that it was stated in the art book. And if you're referring to the Guardians of Childhood series, they don't sell them in my country. And I'm not allowed to shop online. Plus, my mother would just dismiss my request by stating that I'm too old for these sort of books. The age range is 4-8 and even my younger sister is already 11. So it's pretty useless to ask. **


	13. Chapter 13

"WOOOOOHOOOOOO!"

Jamie felt adrenaline surge through his body as he flew with Jack, literally riding the wind. It was almost like his sledding experience with Jack six years before, only he was going much faster and he was literally flying through the air. He held on tight to Jack, afraid he might just fly off, but he knew the Guardian of Fun would never let that happen. Wind was whistling in his ears and he had to squint his eyes or even close them as it was too painful to hold them open and his mouth had to remain close as well, in case he swallowed any flying objects, but he couldn't help letting out a cry of delight. For a few moments, he forgot all about his troubles.

Jack grinned upon seeing how much the teenager enjoyed the ride. Memories of his first encounter with the boy came flooding back to him and he felt slightly nostalgic. Jamie had certainly grown a lot, and if it wasn't for the strong wind and Jack's strength, he wouldn't be able to hold on to the boy and fly at the same time. He could feel Jamie clutching him tightly, quite ignorant of the cold he emanated.

"Hate to disappoint you, Jamie, but we're here," Jack said, slowing down. Jamie opened his eyes as they slowed to a stop and landed. Jamie's eyes drank in his surroundings. His jaw slackened. There were seven floating pillars around him. Golden oblong boxes were being opened and closed by some mechanism and small fairies who resembled hummingbirds were zipping about, depositing teeth in those boxes. It was sight unlike any other Jamie had seen before.

"Welcome to the Tooth Palace," Jack said, with a smile, gesturing at the seven pillars.

"Jack? Jamie? What are the two of you doing here?" exclaimed a voice from behind them. The two boys turned and came face to face with a larger version of the small fairies, someone whom Jamie had met before. Tooth seemed delighted but surprised at the same time to see them in her palace.

"The Tooth Fairy!" Jamie exclaimed. Tooth beamed.

"Glad to see you still believe, Jamie," she said, before turning to Jack. "What brings you here?"

Jack held up a hand. "Hold on," he said. "I know you're very busy and all, but perhaps, you would like to give Jamie a tour of this place? Or perhaps I could do it."

"No, I rule this palace, right? So it's only right that I be the one to give him a tour of this place," Tooth smiled. "So Jamie, like Jack said, welcome to the Tooth Palace. Each of these seven pillars..." She gestured at the pillars. "... represent a continent. Each of them has a Library of Memories, where all the teeth we collect from the children from the respective continents are stored. Every child has his or her own box of teeth with his or her face on the front. My fairies..." Tooth indicated the flying baby teeth. "... collect the teeth in the night and leave something in return, usually a quarter, but I guess you already knew that part." Tooth flashed another smile.

"Whoa," was all Jamie could manage. He gaped at it for a few moments before asking, "But is there enough space? Do you run out?"

"No. The library just keeps expanding as more and more teeth gets stored over the generations. The teeth store your memories of childhood. If ever you are troubled, lost, confused or uncertain what to do next, we will return your teeth so that you will remember the hopes and dreams of your childhood," Tooth explained. She pointed out one of the boxes that was being opened and had a tooth placed in it. "Only you can open your box."

"Where is this palace situated? In other words, where are we currently?" he asked.

"This palace is located in South East Asia," Tooth explained. "It's suspended high in the clouds to prevent any intruders."

Jamie couldn't help but smile as he took in the view of the palace and watched the mini fairies at work. It was all so wonderful. To think such a thing truly existed and people claim it only existed in the imagination of children. They didn't believe, so they may never see it. At that thought, the whole purpose of dropping by came flooding back to him.

"Jack, what was your idea again? You know, you said you had a plan to make Sophie believe again," Jamie said, turning to the Guardian of Fun. The Guardian of Memories looked up.

"Bunny's little ankle-biter stopped believing?" she asked. Jamie nodded.

"Yeah, and she just lost her last tooth, which one of your fairies had collected. She had originally dumped it into a waste paper basket..." Tooth gasped at that statement. "... but I fished it out and handed it to one of your fairies, and I told her to you or one of the other Guardians that I would like to see you. I was worried it might be Pitch or something else."

"Yes, she conveyed your message," Tooth said, sadly. "But Jack did mention he was giving you frequent visits, so I thought he would do."

"Well, that's alright," Jamie said. "The others are probably busy anyway... except Bunny. Easter is already over."

"Yes, it is, but Bunny has probably started working on the painting for next year."

"So what was your idea, Jack?" Jamie asked, realising the conversation was getting off-topic.

Jack pointed at one of the puzzle boxes. "That," he said. "Tooth, do you happen to have Sophie's?"

"Of course!" she replied, before flying off at top speed and returning only moments later with one of those magic oblong puzzle boxes in her hand. It had Sophie's face on the front, with her blonde hair partly covering her face and those bright, hope-filled emerald green eyes. "I think I know where you're going with this, Jack," she said, handing the box to Jamie. "Sophie opens the box and she remembers Bunny and the Warren and all that Dreamsand from six years ago."

Jamie then realised that Jack's plan could actually work and Sophie might believe again! That would be just amazing. He held the box in his hand, looking down at the picture of Sophie, feeling relieve and hope wash over him. Perhaps not only the Easter Bunny could bring hope, but the Tooth Fairy, too, by returning someone the memories of their childhood.

"We've got to get back and try this out," Jamie said, his smile widening. He looked at Jack, who smiled back. Tooth watched them both. Sophie would be granted those memories from her childhood once more and she would be filled with hope and dreams again. Such results made Tooth feel like her job was the best one any Guardian could have and she was proud of what it could do to the children.

Of course, there were kids out there who would never want to remember their childhood, but that was a whole different story.

"It's time to leave," Jack said, giving Tooth an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Tooth."

"Yeah, thank you, Tooth Fairy," Jamie said, beaming. Jack and Jamie held on to each other again and took to the skies, turning once to wave goodbye to the fairy who watched them go with immense satisfaction.

...

"Thanks for the ride, Jack," Jamie said, as he landed on the carpeted floor of his bedroom. The digital clock on his bedside table indicated that it was only about midnight. The whole house was fast asleep. "I think I should get some sleep before handing this to Sophie."

"Sleep well, then," Jack said, as he made his way back to the window, casting one last glance at Jamie before flying off.

**Please review.**

**When I first found out that the Tooth Palace was located in SEA, I was surprised, as I live in SEA. Wonder if it truly is somewhere up there. o.O**

* * *

**To Alana-kittychan: No, as you can see above, I do not live in China. My ancestors were from there, however. Anyway, you misunderstood slightly; my mother knows nothing at the moment about my craze with Rise of the Guardians and I haven't told her about the books yet. It was stated on Amazon that the age range was between 4-8, and my mother is the type who reads through all these details before purchasing something, so she's bound to point that out once more. But seeing as they are sold in Australia, I have relatives living there so perhaps I could ask them to keep an eye out for those books (and also Bunnymund's Warren in the Outback- just kidding :-D). Thanks for the offer, anyway. :-) I happened to find some ROTG books in the bookstore when I went to buy the Les Miserables novel a few weeks ago, but those books were the thin ones that are mainly for children (really, these ones are for children). Do you know where I can find the art book? Because that's the one I mainly want to get because I adored the art from the movie.**

** To eltigre221: Kindle is not available in my country's App Store, but perhaps I could try Nook or search for some other electronic reader. Thanks for the suggestion! **


	14. Chapter 14

When Jamie woke, it was nearing eleven in the morning. As he lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, he realised how quiet the house seemed to be. The Bennett household wasn't usually that quiet especially at eleven in the morning. Then he remembered about his parents' situation and turned over onto his side, trying to get the thought out of his mind.

That was when his eyes fell on the puzzle box by his bedside table. He sat up at once, the events of the previous night flooding back to him. He grabbed hold of the box and held it tightly for a few moments, praying it would work. It had to work.

Jamie hurriedly got dressed and clutching the box, he exited his room and entered Sophie's. it was empty. He went down to the dining room where he found her, having breakfast. Mrs. Bennett was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, Sophie," he greeted, casting quick glances around. "Where's mom?"

"She went out to shop for groceries," Sophie replied, finishing the last of her cornflakes. "I see you're up late."

"Yeah," Jamie said, smiling sheepishly. "Anyway, I have a present for you."

Sophie looked up in surprise. Jamie was surprised himself. Often when a present or a gift was mentioned, Sophie's expression would light up several watts and she would be bounding with delight and joy. Seemed like a lot had changed when it had been barely two years since she last acted like that.

"It isn't Christmas, Jamie," she remarked.

"Come on! Aren't brothers allowed to give their sisters presents on any day of the week?" Jamie responded, flashing a smile. He held out the box. "I think you'll love it."

"Pretty!" Sophie said, eyes lighting up this time, as she saw the box.

Well, some things don't change.

Sophie took the box and turned it over and over in her hands. She noticed the picture of her younger self on the front. "Nice packaging, Jamie," she stated, smiling slightly. Jamie, however, had stopped pretending to act all nonchalant and was staring at the box and Sophie with wide, hopeful eyes, and his fingers crossed tightly behind his back.

"How do you open this?" Sophie asked.

Jamie was about to answer, when Sophie slid her fingers against the lid of the box, opening it. It glowed before opening up and propelling Sophie back to her childhood.

...

Jamie paced up and down in his bedroom, feeling heavily disappointed. The part of his head which had been smacked when Sophie flung the box at him still hurt and he kept rubbing it every few minutes.

Sophie had seen memories of her childhood and when they faded, all she saw in the box was a set of teeth. "Teeth? Is this a prank, Jamie Bennett?" she had snapped. "And those visions... you made me see visions! You are evil!" And thwack went the box on Jamie's forehead.

Why was Sophie so stubborn? Jamie kept peering out of the window, with the hope that Jack may come along so he could heard about how the plan failed and perhaps they could come up with a plan B. While he was ruminating, there came a sound downstairs and loud, urgent footsteps coming up the stairs and next, an even more urgent knock on the door of his bedroom.

"Sophie?" Jamie called.

"No, it's me, Jamie," came his mother's voice. There was something odd about it. The 16- year old hurriedly got up and let her in. Her eyes were red and she had obviously been crying.

"What happened, mom?" he asked.

At his question, Mrs. Bennett broke down in tears. Jamie held his mother and comforted her. "What happened, mom? Tell me."

Mrs. Bennett tried to pull herself together. "Your father and I are no more, Jamie. I couldn't tell Sophie, I was afraid she wouldn't understand. Everything has been settled, and he's gone off to that other woman. Oh, thank God, Jamie, he didn't take you and Sophie away from me!"

Jamie couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How could dad do such a thing?" he practically yelled. "Are you sure, mom? Or did you have a nightmare or something?" Jamie knew there was no such thing as his mom overreacting over a nightmare, but he couldn't help but hope that was the case at the moment. He hugged his mom tightly.

"He left me the two of you because he left me nothing," Mrs. Bennett said, tears streaming down her face like two rivers. "We're officially broke, Jamie. Please, take care of Sophie. I won't see much of her now. I have to get at least two jobs if I want to support us. Or else, I'll have to sell this house and we move somewhere cheaper."

"No!" Jamie protested. The house held a lot of memories and Jamie would not leave it for the world. "Please, mom, don't ever sell this place."

"If I can manage, we won't have to," Mrs. Bennett said, just as Jamie heard a sound at his window. He turned briefly and spotted Jack, hovering outside, looking in with a surprised look on his face.

Jamie turned back to his mother. "Listen, mom. I'll do what I can do to help. I'll get myself a summer job, alright? At least there'll be a little cash flow. And I'll try something else when school reopens."

Mrs. Bennett smiled up at her teenage son. "Jamie, thank you. But please, don't do anything stupid, will you?" Jamie knew what she was referring to.

"Oh come on, mom, it's only high-risk trading," he said, an attempt at a joke. Mrs. Bennett fixed him with a stern look but she was smiling slightly.

"Jamie Bennett..."

"I was kidding."

Mrs. Bennett got up and kissed her son on the forehead before leaving the bedroom. Jamie turned and hurried to the window where Jack was still hovering and let the spirit of winter in.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"A lot of things," Jamie said. "First of all, the plan didn't work. Sophie refuses to believe. And she accused me of making her see things. Seriously, she's been watching too many of those psychology and horror films."

Jack looked rather crestfallen as well. "Bunny is not going to like that, but he says he has a plan himself. So I guess there's still hope. But what's with your mom?"

Jamie glanced over his shoulder at the door for a moment before turning back to Jack. "My parents are officially divorced and we are currently in a financial crisis because my father left my mother nothing, except Sophie and I, and the house."

Jack took Jamie's hand, but the boy jerked it away after a short pause as it became too cold.

"I'm sorry, Jamie. I wish there was something I could do."

Jamie looked up and his eyes fell on the drawing of him sledding, which he still had on the wall. That was when an idea struck him. "I think I know what to do, Jack," he said, his eyes lighting up.

** Please review.**

* * *

**To Alana-kittychan: Thanks for the info! **


	15. Chapter 15

The aromatic smell of coffee filled his senses as Jamie walked into the cafe, hoping to find a summer job there. That particular cafe was where the working-class often hung out, and given the fact that there were offices nearby, it was like an unofficial extension of their workplaces, probably like a cafetaria. Other patrons included the middle-aged and several senior citizens who could often be seen experiencing caffeine overdose. Jamie didn't spot anyone around his age. It was late in the evening and getting chilly. He had scoured Burgess for places offering jobs to teenagers only to discover that most of them had already hired the required help.

He went up to the counter, which was like a bar with all sorts of odd-looking machines behind it, and approached one of the waiters. Crossing his fingers, he cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but can I see your manager?"

The waiter fixed him with a look. "A teenager lookin' for a summer job, eh?" Jamie nodded. "Well, don't get your hopes too high! We've got enough help here!"

Jamie felt disappointed and was about to turn and leave when a burly man appeared. The 16- year old stayed where he was when he noticed him wearing a badge which read 'Manager'.

"What is going on here, Tom?" the manager asked. The waiter merely shrugged, gestured at Jamie and walked off but not before he gave the boy a look. The manager turned to Jamie.

"How may I help you, laddie?" he asked. Jamie heaved an inaudible sigh of relieve to hear the kind note in the man's voice.

"I'm looking for a summer job. Do you have any at the moment?" he asked, his fingers crossed. He must've had a look of desperation on his face for the manager smiled slightly.

"Well, yes, kiddo. We do need some help around here," the manager replied. "Why don't you come tomorrow at nine sharp?"

Jamie beamed. "Thanks, sir!" he responded. He glanced for a moment in the direction of the other waiter, and wondered why he had just snapped at him and told him they didn't need help, but decided not to bring it up. The manager walked off and as Jamie was heading out of the cafe with high spirits, he couldn't help but notice the guy walking out of the cafe, fuming.

...

Every word had been carefully written out. Jamie had checked and checked and checked the manuscript to ensure that it was completely free of any grammatical errors, sentence structures, et cetera.

The digital clock on his bedside table showed that it was way past midnight. Having ignored the fact that he had to rise early the next morning, Jamie had just sat down at his desk as soon as he came back from the cafe and began writing everything he could remember from six years ago. It was all based on a true story. Would it sell?

Jamie wasn't so sure. It borrowed some of the characters from the Guardians of Childhood series. And the first part seemed so irrelevant. Jamie absent-mindedly gazed at his bedroom window, staring out into the darkness, wishing Jack was with him. Perhaps the latter might have knowledge about events which occurred prior to the great adventure Jamie had, which he could add into the story.

Something flew past the window. It was hard to discern who or what it was, as it was rather dark outside. Jamie, however, knew it was Jack. He snapped out of his reverie and hurried to the window in delight.

"You're still awake?" Jack asked, mildly surprised, as Jamie let him in. "I thought you wouldn't want to be late for work tomorrow."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"Well... I follow you around without you knowing it sometimes," Jack said, smiling sheepishly.

A short silence passed between them before Jack noticed the papers on Jamie's desk. He flew over, blowing some of them off the desk in the process and peered at one.

"What have you been writing?" Jack asked. "Hey, I'm mentioned!"

Jamie hurriedly gathered up the papers and stuffed them into his desk drawer. "It's nothing," he said. "Just a short story."

"About six years ago?" Jack guessed.

Jamie smiled and nodded, but his smile vanished almost immediately after that. "What happened six years ago was real, and all of you Guardians are real and I was writing everything I could remember. I was hoping to publish this manuscript once it's finished. If it sells..." Jamie trailed off, but Jack knew what was going on in the boy's mind. Before the guardian could say anything, however, Jamie went on, "I was actually hoping you would drop by, as I thought you might know of other events which occurred prior to what I experienced. You know, with the other Guardians and Pitch..."

Jack grinned. "There is a lot, Jamie," he said. "Believe me, when we're done with this manuscript, it will be almost entirely about me."

"I don't care," Jamie responded, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Tell me everything!" Jack sat on one side of Jamie's desk while the boy donned his coat and pulled on some mittens to enable himself to write properly as the chill emanating from Jack would numb his fingers. He settled at his desk and pulled out the papers from the drawer.

"Well, it all began right here, in Burgess, over 300 years ago..." Jack began expanding his tale while Jamie continued writing.

**So I'm just assuming Jamie and Jack do not know about the complications of the publishing process yet.**

** And I don't know anything about looking/asking for a summer job, as there is no summer in my country. **

**Thanks for reading! Please review.**

** To Yoru Hana1: Good idea! I didn't think of that! But I think it's more of Sophie to do something like that... perhaps I could add that. **


	16. Chapter 16

"So how was your first day at work?" asked Sophie, with a little smirk. "About time you got independent, don't you think?"

Jamie rolled his eyes as he thundered up the stairs, ignoring his sister's remark. She had changed a lot, he realised. Her attitude, her ways, her perspective of life, and so on and so forth. If she were to just change her appearance and name, she could go about the world as a different person.

But then again, times change, people change. But he, Jamie, had not.

His spirits were lifted as he entered his bedroom and spied the complete manuscript on his desk. He had stayed up late with the winter spirit to complete it and had had troubled waking up that morning. But it was all worth it.

Jack had his own story, just like the other Guardians, but his began much later than any of the other Guardians, only about 300 years back. Wouldn't that be during the time if the colonials? Jack had left out information about the settings of 17th-century Burgess, deeming them to be of little importance. Jamie had a feeling he was leaving out a lot, for he only told the 16-year old about his sister and how he had died saving her. Nothing else besides.

"And then there was the part where he relived his memories," Jamie muttered to himself, flipping through the manuscript to that particular chapter. "Memories of childhood. The teeth contains memories of childhood. There has to be more to Jack's childhood than him going ice-skating with his sister and falling into an icy lake, right?"

Jamie pushed that out of his mind for a moment as once again, he flipped through the manuscript. He would have to try to fix it, there was no doubt. He had read once that a manuscript had to be improved till it could no longer be improved before he sought out an agent or a publisher. Jamie actually knew nothing about the publishing industry.

There was a knock in the door. Without waiting for an answer, Sophie entered and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, a smug look on her face. There were times when Jamie almost forgot that she was only about 11; she tend to look too grown-up for her age.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I see you wrote a novel."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It's just that... I realise there's a part in it where I'm like the protagonist. With a big, tall, furry rabbit."

"Oh, it's in there because it really did happen and you did travel to the Easter Bunny's Warren," Jamie replied, nonchalantly.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "The Easter Bunny brings hope, right?" she said.

Jamie turned, not expecting that. He had braced himself for a torrent of sarcastic remarks. "Yeah. Why?"

Sophie's hands fell to her sides. "If you believe in him and his hope-bringing scheme so much, why is it that mom looks like she has lost all hope every night? But anyway, that's not the main reason why I came here."

"What is it, then?"

Sophie ran out of the room and returned a few moments later, with one of her paintings in her hand. "What do you think of this?"

Jamie glanced briefly at the painting before turning back to his manuscript, before he realised what Sophie had actually painted. He turned again and stared at it.

It was a painting of Bunnymund's Warren. There was no doubt about it. Jamie had never been to the Warren before, but Jack had described it to him, and Jamie had even sketched it out from his imagery and Jack had corrected several parts, so Jamie had an idea what the Warren looked like.

And now, looking at the painting in Sophie's hands, he was very sure it was the Warren, despite the absence of the egg sentinels and tiny walking eggs. The painting even had an opening to one of Bunnymund's tunnels.

"What... reference..." Jamie found it a little hard to get the words out.

"Reference?" Sophie asked, raising her eyebrows, before letting them drop into a frown. "How insulting! The only reference I used for this was my imagination! And of course... a dream..." The last part was spoken in an undertone, almost like she was saying it to herself.

"Don't you think there's actually more to it?" Jamie couldn't help asking. "It isn't like you to not add people and animals to your paintings."

Sophie glared at Jamie. "Well, the only things were eggs with tiny feet and a six feet rabbit which couldn't possibly exist in this world..." Sophie trailed off. Jamie raised an eyebrow.

"I don't believe you don't believe," Jamie said, with a small smirk.

"Ha ha. Try saying that five times really fast. Anyway, I think I'm gonna be driven mad if I stay here too long, so I'll just be going." With that, Sophie pivoted on her heel and left the room with her painting in hand.

"Sophie, wait up!" Jamie called, a thought striking him. He ran out onto the second floor landing after his sister, who halted in her tracks.

"What?"

"I know someone who'll really love that painting of yours, so if you'll just permit me to take a picture of it..."

"No deal."

"Come on, it's just a picture!"

"Who is this someone?"

"Why are you always so full of questions?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Who is this someone?"

"Just a friend. Erm... Pippa."

"Fine."

"Thanks, Soph," Jamie responded, grinning. "Oh, and there's something else..."

"What now?"

"Just follow me."

**Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows! And for reading! As you can see, there's a little change in the sypnosis... do you think it'll be okay? **

** Please review.**


	17. Chapter 17

Sophie stood akimbo, her head tilted to one side, her green eyes scrutinising her brother's face. She looked at him questioningly, her face had the ghost of a smile.

"You are so weird. I can't believe I have such a weird brother. Can't you be just like the other boys? Your peers, those around your age, I mean. Not the ones mom is going to offer to babysit," she said, a small smirk creeping onto her face.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Look, Soph. I know very well you don't believe in this sort of stuff, but you could at least help me out here. You do read fantasy books, right? But you..."

"I don't read them anymore," the 11- year old replied, letting her hands fall to her sides. "And I think what you've just written is so silly." She snatched up the manuscript and flicked through the pages before stopping at one and reading out Jack's resurrection. "This is so illogical! How can someone just rise out of a frozen pond? And the moon told him something? How can the moon tell anyone anything? The moon can't even speak! And..."

"Sophie, that's what we call 'fantasy'."

"True, but you kept insisting earlier that this was 'based on a true story'."

"Well, it is..."

Jamie trailed of as he heard a soft tapping sound in the window. Sophie must've had heard it, too, for her gaze left her brother and travelled over to the window instead. Jamie glanced over his shoulder.

Jack was right outside the window, staff in hand, smile in place as usual. As he tapped the window, frost swirled on the pane in abstract patterns, melting after several seconds due to the summer heat. Sophie's eyes widened. Jamie smiled slightly to himself.

"I'll answer it," he said, resisting an urge to laugh out loud at the sight of his sister's face. He crossed over to the window and unlocked it, letting Jack in. As soon as the winter spirit entered, the temperature in the room dropped drastically and Sophie shivered slightly.

"Jamie... what's going on?" she asked, slowly. There was a hint of fear in her voice. She took a tentative step back, looking around, but seeing no one.

"Sophie, do you believe in Jack Frost?" Jamie asked, although he knew what the answer would be.

Sophie's shocked expression changed to one of exasperation. "Seriously, Jamie! Talking about Jack Frost right now! What is going on?"

"Feeling like you're in a horror movie, eh?" Jamie teased. "It was Jack Frost I let in earlier. Since he's the winter _spirit_..." Jamie trailed off, never finishing his sentence as Sophie turned and took to her heels. She slammed the door behind her as she left the room and Jamie had a feeling she wasn't going to be entering it for some time after that. Or ever talk to him again. The 16- year old turned back to Jack.

"I don't think she'll ever believe again, Jack," he said, flopping onto the bed. "Tell Bunny I'm sorry."

"Hey, this doesn't seem like the Jamie I know," Jack said. "The Jamie I knew would never give up. Just like he didn't give up hope when his family fell apart." Those last words stirred something inside Jamie. It was like some sort of realisation, a wake-up call. He would probably never have a proper family. Those memories he had had with his parents and sister when he was younger seemed like dreams at that moment. Jack noticed he had obviously said the wrong thing and changed the subject by pointing at the manuscript on Jamie's desk and asking, "You're done with that?"

Jamie couldn't help but smile. "Yes," he said. "I was just asking Sophie if she could help illustrate scenes from it, but you saw how things turned out. Anyway, she thinks I'm crazy because I still believe and I claim this whole thing to be based on a real story. Well, actually, it is true, but it just earned me a one-way ticket to the nuthouse."

Jack smiled. "Don't worry. Bunny already has a plan. Anyway, what's this?" Jack peered at Sophie's painting of the Warren which rested against one of the legs of Jamie's desk. "Is this... the Warren?"

Jamie nodded. "Sophie did it, not me. She claimed it was some sort of place she dreamed about. But we know better. I was thinking, perhaps you could take it to Bunny."

"Yeah, it might soothe his nerves," Jack responded, still gazing at the painting. "Bunny's rather worried Sophie might stop believing in him for good. I've never seen him so tensed. Guess he really does like your sister." Jack turned to look at Jamie, who was flicking through his manuscript. "Gonna get that in print?"

"I have to type it out on a computer somehow," the 16- year old said. "But I don't have one and it's kind of a hassle to go down to the internet cafe, what with my summer job. It's usually pretty packed in the afternoon. And I need to read it through again, to minimise the amount of mistakes."

Jack looked surprised. "Why don't you just write out a better version and mail it to whatever publisher? I'm sure they accept handwritten manuscripts..." The winter spirit trailed off upon seeing Jamie's amused look.

"Times have changed, Jack," Jamie said, putting on his coat. "I'm heading out to one of those cafes now to see if they have word programs. Coming?"

...

"So, let me get this straight. I can use the word programs but not the USB port? So, I'll have to email whatever documents to myself?"

"Mhm."

"Right. Thanks."

Jamie walked over to one of the available computers, and opened up the word program and began typing. He was rather slow at first, trying to locate the alphabets on the keyboard with Jack helping him. Those seated at computers near the duo kept looking around for the source of that slight chill. Jamie tried not to move his lips too much when talking to Jack, which he did in a low voice.

Halfway through the second page, Jamie couldn't help opening up the Internet browser and out of curiosity, he typed 'Jack Frost' in the search engine and hit 'enter'.

"Jamie?" said Jack, as the search results appeared. Jamie smirked slightly as he clicked the first one and brought up a page on the lore and history of the winter spirit.

"_Jack Frost is a sprite and the personification of crisp, cold, winter weather, a variant of Old Man Winter. He is also at times shown as a mischief-making spirit, carefree and happiest when he can behave as he pleases. With no obligations, he is able to flourish_," Jamie read out. He turned to look up at Jack before turning back to the computer hurriedly, and checking to see that no one had noticed. "Kind of true, eh?" Jack merely smirked as he stared at the computer screen.

"That certainly doesn't look like me, though," he remarked, pointing at the picture. Jamie returned to the search engine and typed in 'Easter Bunny'.

"Wow, didn't know Bunny was that cute," Jack said, as pictures depicting cartoonized rabbits with colourful eggs appeared. Jamie couldn't help but grin. The next Guardian he looked up was the 'Tooth Fairy'.

"_A fantasy figure of early childhood_..." Jack read. "Hm, not many of these pictures of fairies look in the least bit like her. None of them have feathers."

Jamie resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "Ah, but she's not just the Tooth Fairy. She's Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies. One of the titles in the Guardians of Childhood series. Let's try Sandman next..."

"... _a mythical character in Northern European folklore who brings good dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto the eyes of children while they sleep_... yeah, that's basically who Sandy is," said Jack. Jamie scrolled through the search results. "Whoa, look at those pictures. That really doesn't look like Sandman. But more like Pitch."

Jamie chuckled. "You truly know nothing about the Internet, do you, Jack?" he asked. The winter spirit smiled sheepishly.

"That's true and the bad part about it is that I have no interest in learning about it. I mean, there are the children of the world, and what fun can you find on the Internet?"

"People usually play games or go on social networking sites," Jamie replied. "Have you played computer games? Video games?"

Jack shook his head, discerning the amused tone in Jamie's voice.

"I've got an idea. Wanna try out the arcade after this?"

Jack turned to look at Jamie's amused countenance for a moment before shrugging. "I see no harm in it. It could be fun."

** Thanks for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following! It means a lot! **

** Hope you liked this chapter. Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

"And how are these machines supposed to be fun?" Jack inquired, as he entered the arcade with Jamie, making a few of the kids shiver slightly and wonder if there had been a slight change in the weather. The winter spirit eyed the crowd of kids hanging out at the machines and the loud sounds issuing from each.

"You can play games on them," Jamie explained, in as low a voice as he could possibly manage, though it didn't really matter, as most of the kids were too absorbed in whatever they were playing and the sounds as well as chatter would easily drown out Jamie's voice.

"Virtual games? Well, I've never tried any of them, but they could be fun," Jack said, his eyes drinking in the sight of the arcade. "I mean, these kids seem to find it fun."

Jamie shrugged. "I guess that depends on you. Hey, Jack, ever driven a car?"

"Well, since I'm from colonial times and is an unseen spirit around adults today... no."

"Well, then, try out this virtual racing game," Jamie responded, pointing in the direction of two unoccupied machines. "Don't worry, everyone's too busy to notice me racing against someone who isn't the computer yet isn't there."

"Who said I was worried?" said Jack, with a smirk, as he made his way over to the machines with Jamie. "I'm just worried about... this."

Frost swirled all over the steering wheel as Jack touched it. "And if I hold it for too long..." he continued, eyeing some of the kids at the other arcade machines who seem to cling on to them like their life depended on it, while racing or competing with their friends. "... I risk freezing it entirely."

"Right," Jamie said, as he slid into the seat. "Just let me show you how this works. So you won't be a total noob."

"A what?"

"Never mind..."

#

"Take that! And that!"

The burly axe-wielding warrior finally delivered a fatal blow and his opponent went down. The words 'You Win!' flashed across the screen in bright yellow. Jamie threw up his hands in victory, just to be cliche.

"Well, what did you think, Jack?" Jamie asked, turning to the winter spirit. Two hours had passed and Jamie had shown Jack a few of the arcade games.

"They do seem fun, but I wouldn't know for sure," he said, smirking slightly, as he glanced at the dead opponent (which the pair had named 'Pitch Black' despite it being a lady clad in white) on the screen. "Hey, perhaps I could sneak in here when the place is closed and try out some of them."

"The kids would hate you. Indirectly," Jamie replied, as they walked out of the arcade, for it was growing late.

"Why?"

"Because the place would be closed down for good. Jack Frost in there, trying out the games? It would probably turn into a winter wonderland. And anyway, if there was a break-in and they find no one, there would probably be rumours about this place being haunted."

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "Anyway, it's getting late. Shouldn't you be getting home?"

"Nah. There's no one home save for Sophie," the 16- year old replied. "And she doesn't exactly make good company these days. Anyway, I'm famished. Wanna grab something to eat? Do you even eat?"

"Well, sometimes. What about that place?" Jack pointed at a cafe sign up head. Jamie shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

The cafe was very much like the one Jamie worked in, only it's patrons were much younger. Jamie and Jack found a seat in a far corner, to keep away from the crowd and the windows. From where they sat, they could see everyone and Jamie noticed Claude and Caleb at another end of the cafe but didn't feel like going over to say hi at the moment.

"What may I get you?" the waitress asked.

"Just get me these sandwiches," Jamie said, pointing randomly at a picture in the menu. "Two sets."

The waitress raised an eyebrow. "Two? Are you certain?" Her eyes darted momentarily to the empty seat beside Jamie. Well, it was empty to her.

Jamie nodded, as he handed the menus back to the slightly bewildered waitress. She collected them and left, but not before she bumped into another waitress and Jamie heard her ask, "It's a little bit cold in here, don't you think?"

Jack gazed around. "It feels weird," he spoke. "Sitting here like this. With you. I guess I can consider myself lucky. Not every Guardian gets to sit with one of the kids in a cafe like a regular human being."

Jamie merely smiled. "Is it okay?"

Jack nodded. "Hey, it's just for a while, right? Anyway, I've already made it snow in parts of the world where snow is due. Almost all my tasks are completed."

"Almost all?"

"Huh? Oh, I meant, all of them."

Jamie's eyebrows shot up till they were almost hidden in his mousy brown hair. "Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked.

"Not at all," Jack replied. Jamie decided not to push it.

"Is that even allowed?" Jack asked, half-smirking, staring at something.

Jamie turned to see what it was Jack was staring at, though he had to be careful. Hardly anyone in the cafe could see Jack (except, perhaps, Claude and Caleb, but they were at the other end), but everyone could see him, Jamie.

It was a couple. Seated at a table in another dark corner of the cafe, just across from where Jamie and Jack were. They were not very young, not very old either. And they were in full canoodle. Jamie hurriedly tore his gaze away, though he couldn't help thinking one of them seemed familiar.

"I don't think..." He trailed off. Because that was when it registered.

**Please review. :-)**


	19. Chapter 19

"Jamie, what's wrong?" Jack asked, cautiously.

The winter spirit had never seen the boy look that angry before. Jamie was glaring at the couple, his cheeks burning, hands balled into fists. Jack returned his gaze to the couple, but he still could not make any sense of Jamie's anger. The only thing he saw was a couple snogging and a bottle of beer on the table. Without a warning, Jamie sprang up from his seat and marched over to the couple, his face contorted with fury and disgust. Even when he stood beside the table, neither man nor woman noticed him there.

Till he snatched up the beer bottle and smashed it with a loud crash against the side of the table.

"What the... Jamie?" the man yelled, looking up instantly, just as the woman let out a small scream as she cut herself on pieces of the glass from the shattered beer bottle. Everyone in the cafe turned, startled by the loud crash and stared, bewildered at the scene developing before their eyes.

"How could you, dad?" Jamie yelled at the man, fighting back tears. Crying would only make him look weak. And he didn't want to show his infidel of a father that he couldn't live without the latter. Mr. Bennett seemed to cower beneath his son's glare.

"Insolent boy!" the woman piped in, which earned herself a glare from Jamie.

"You dare?" it was the lady's turn to face the wrath of Jamie Bennett as the boy's hands went instinctively to her long bony neck. She was young, definitely younger than his mother and father. "I bet it's you! I bet it's all because of you!" Jamie's fingers tightened around the lady's neck as he began yelling obscenities at her, unable to control his temper any longer. He allowed the tears to flow freely and as images of his mother sobbing flashed through his mind, he could no longer think straight.

Jack was behind Jamie in a flash, though no one could see him. The winter spirt held the boy by his shoulder and attempted to tug him away, but even the chill radiating from him couldn't distract Jamie, though he did try to shrug it off.

"Jamie, stop it!" Mr. Bennett attempted to prise his son's fingers from the lady's neck, but Jamie, completely oblivious to his surroundings, only viewing his father's new girlfriend as the source of his mother's unhappiness, the whole family's unhappiness, the little time Mrs. Bennett had left to spend with her children. The only thing going through his mind at that moment was to crush this harlot like a cockroach before the ink dried on the divorce papers.

"Hands off, Jamie," Jack whispered in his ear, sending a cold wind across the room which made everyone shiver and take their eyes off the dramatic scene before them and divert their attention to detecting the source of the cold air. Mr. Bennett was finally able to prise off his son's fingers, leaving red finger marks on the lady's neck as she choked, spluttered and gasped for air. Jamie lashed out at his father.

"What's wrong with you? Leaving us with nothing? I bet you gave everything to her, didn't you?" Jamie gestured rudely at the lady. "Do you have any idea what mom's been through? Why don't you try juggling two jobs and two kids? Oh, maybe you already have two kids!" His eyes flickered for a moment between his father and the girlfriend. Despite his rage, he noticed that people were heading out of the cafe in a hurry due to the cold wind sweeping continuously through the room, into the warm summer air, as most of them had donned summer clothes. He silently thanked Jack.

Mr. Bennett fixed Jamie with a weird look. He seemed to be taking deep breaths of air, despite it being cold at that moment, probably a way of calming himself. "What are you talking about? What is all this nonsense about juggling two jobs?"

Jamie could feel his ire rising again at his fathers ignorance. "You left us with nothing!"

"Nothing?" Mr. Bennett blurted out, in a way which startled Jamie. "You think I can leave you with nothing? I paid your mother a sum of money! It's more than what she deserves."

For the first time since the announcement of the divorce, Jamie thought things over in his currently addled mind. Of course, he should've seen it earlier. There was no way his father could leave them completely broke. It would be illegal. But his mother... Jamie couldn't seem to find the words to say nor did he have any idea what was the right thing to do at that moment.

"You don't love her anymore?" he finally asked, after what seemed like an eternity.

Mr. Bennett did not reply immediately. When he finally did, it was a stiff response.

"No. Our whole marriage had been a charade anyway." He didn't look Jamie in the eye. "I'm sorry, Jamie." With the lady in tow, he headed for the exit of the cafe.

"Where... where do you..." Jamie found it hard to get the words out, but Mr. Bennett understood. He paused momentarily before the door.

"I'm leaving in the morning. Got a job offer overseas. See you, Jamie. Perhaps one day, our paths will cross again." Without turning, he left the cafe. The lady turned once and shot Jamie a dirty look before she left, too.

The cafe was almost deserted, save for some of the waiters and those working in the kitchen. They had practically heard every word of the conversation, but all kept to themselves as Jamie walked past them on the way out with Jack. He felt a surge of gratitude, though he was sure they would begin discussing it the moment he was out of that place.

"Perhaps it's best if we get you home fast," Jack said, before grabbing Jamie and flying off, over the rooftops, trying hard not to be spotted by those on the ground before landing on Jamie's doorstep. Jack noticed the boy looked completely miserable. He was about to say something comforting when Jamie spoke first.

"I think I should probably apologise to that lady," Jamie said, bitterly. "I don't know what got into me. Perhaps I think it was really unfair." He got to his feet and entered the house. The light was on in the dining room, where Sophie was having dinner alone. "Where's mom?" Jamie asked, peeping in.

"Gone out. Why? And what happened? You look like you've just lost a dollar and found ten cents," the 11- year old replied.

"Spotted dad playing tongue polo with a lady in a cafe today," Jamie replied.

"Ugh. That just ruined my appetite." Sophie said, nonchalantly, gazing down at the bowl of instant noodles.

Jamie looked up at his sister. "Why are you being so casual about it? You don't think it's shocking or anything?"

"That's because I already knew."

** I apologise, if I went overboard with the angst, but that would be how I would've reacted as well. (Yeah, I'm pretty much an angsty person.). **

** Anyway, please review. :-)**


	20. Chapter 20

"You- what? You already knew?" Jamie spluttered, glaring at his sister. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"That's because I knew you would get all worked up like... right now," Sophie replied, with nonchalance that only angered her brother even more. "Besides, I think it's really up to dad to choose whoever he wants to be and what he wants to do."

Jamie fixed Sophie with a weird look. "You seem to forget the fact that he's your father as well," he said. "You mean, you don't care if he runs off with another woman? Or how upset he made mom? Or how she's now forced to work two jobs a day just to keep us going?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "You're so good at overreacting, Jamie. Well, no, I have not forgotten that he's my father; I'm 11, not a century-old. Things weren't so good between him and mom, so why bother staying together? Would you like it if mom and dad quarreled and argued each day, like they've got nothing better to do? Don't you think life will be even more miserable? Your anger is clouding your ability to see reason and think properly. At least now dad's happy. For mom... well, she was kinda... I don't really know how to put it."

Jamie scowled. "You'd better tell me everything."

Sophie sighed. "Dad left us with very little. Mom keeps sending the money out to someone. Said she wanted to pay debts or something. I think she really is paying debts, but for someone else. I'm not really sure about that. But it's a lot. She won't tell dad about it, thus their arguments. Anyway, they were already drifting apart, what with dad's 24-hours-a-day job and their inability to communicate and get-along. Dad promised he'll still visit us, though."

"Yeah, and the King is my uncle," Jamie snapped. "He's gone overseas with that lady. Probably won't be back for some time. Why does everyone tell you everything anyway?"

Sophie looked slightly surprised. "Really? He has? Now, that's something no one told me," she said. "People tell me things because I ask and... well, implore, but I acquire most of the information by eavesdropping and being around instead of daydreaming and fantasizing about legends and Guardians."

In that moment of silence, the crunch of gravel from the porch could be heard distinctly, signalling that Mrs. Bennett was home. Sophie shot her brother a smile and resumed eating. Jamie, however, raced up to his bedroom, flung himself onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow. He didn't even notice a certain winter spirit hovering outside his window, watching him.

#

Jamie was walking through a thronged street, the buzz of chatter and rumbling sounds of passing vehicles, and the stench of exhaust filling his senses. It was a warm summer's day and beads of sweat was trickling down the side of his face. He felt weak and tired and all he wanted to do was flop down onto one of the benches at the side and drift off to sleep, but all of them seemed to be occupied by tramps dressed in costumes you would usually see on Mardi Gras.

"Jamie Bennett!"

Jamie turned sharply. He recognised that voice; well, it sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it at that moment. However, upon turning, he saw that lady again, and it clicked. He scowled deeply. Why was she calling him? As he watched, a devilish smile creeped onto her face and she suddenly came charging towards him, whizzing through the crowd with ease, her hands outstretched and her nails were growing rapidly into long, sharp talons. Jamie tried to run, but it seemed like his feet had been glued to the ground, and the lady was soon beside him, her hands closing around his neck, the talons digging into his skin, when suddenly he was able to move again. He sprinted through the crowd, passing through everyone. The lady ran after him in hot pursuit. The people around him were melting into shadows as the sun was suddenly blocked out, plunging the place into total darkness, save for the lights from the shops. Jamie looked ahead and recognised the cafe he worked at and rushed into it.

The manager beamed at him from behind the bar and Jamie felt a sense of security. He turned back to see that the lady was already gone, but there was a blizzard outside. Turning back to face the front, he scanned the cafe and spotted a table in the corner occupied by five familiar figures.

"Jack! Guardians!" he exclaimed.

The five of them turned and smiled broadly upon seeing him. They waved and he ran towards them, but halfway there, the ground opened up all of a sudden and he fell through, into infinite space.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Then a living room appeared beneath him and he found himself falling straight towards a sofa. He fell onto it, the breath knocked out of him for a minute and saw, not far off, in a loveseat, his father and that same lady cuddling and looking perfectly content. Behind the sofa, his mother sat on the floor, looking frail and old and worn out. Jamie leaped to his feet and took off in the direction of the only door in the room. He pulled it open and walked straight into a bedroom he recognised. Estella's. Turning around for a moment, he discovered the door had disappeared.

"Hello, Jamie."

Jamie turned and saw, sitting on the bed, Estella, with a sleeping Sophie, who looked to be around eight. He took a few cautious steps towards them, in case the ground should open up again or something else.

"Estella! You're here!" he exclaimed.

The 12-year old still looked as radiant as ever, in a blue frock and long blonde locks framing a healthy face with rosy cheeks and smiling eyes. She looked nothing like the listless girl Jamie remembered. As he spoke, she put a finger to her lips and looked at Sophie. Just then, there was the soft clip-clopping sound of hooves and a unicorn appeared out of nowhere, cantering silently around the room.

"Yes, I am," she replied.

"Wait, does that mean that I'm dreaming?" Jamie asked.

Estella cocked her head to one side, pondering that question. "Well, you did fall through the floor of a cafe. And that door did vanish."

Jamie fixed her with a bewildered look. "A lot has happened, hasn't it?" he said, his face falling, as he remembered the scene outside the vanished door. Suddenly, he felt on the verge of tears.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Estella asked, her tone gentle.

Jamie ruminated. Perhaps he needed to cry on, and since it couldn't be Sophie, or Jack, at the moment, what about Estella? That, if she was real. "I... think so."

"Hold on a second," his cousin said, all of a sudden. "I would really like to hear about your problems and help you in any way I can, but right now, that can't happen." There was a short pause before she continued. "You're totally distressed, Jamie. We probably don't have much time before something crazy happens in your subconscious." There was a hint of a smile on her face. Jamie's eyes slowly traveled to the unicorn. "And we can't have a conversation when crazy things are happening, can we?" She gave him a sympathetic look.

"No, I guess not," Jamie replied, not sure what to say. "Is... the unicorn considered crazy?"

Before Estella could reply, the room started to rumble and all of a sudden, translucent frost rabbits started pouring out from the walls by the dozen. Jamie recognised them as the same rabbits as the one he had seen on the night he believed in Jack Frost. He turned to look at Estella, who was smiling at him.

"You need to find place in your subconscious, Jamie. Then perhaps..."

Before Estella could respond, the room began to disintegrate, along with the frost bunnies and the unicorn. A crack formed in Estella and Sophie's bodies and they began to crumble with it.

"No!" Jamie yelled, lurching forwards. Estella's mouth opened one last time...

"Toc, toc, toc." She began making soft knocking sounds and Jamie suddenly felt himself falling again...

#

Jamie woke with a start, someone knocking on the window. He didn't have to look to know it was Jack. Who else would knock on his window?

Jamie got out of bed, still feeling groggy, and let Jack in. The Guardian of Fun flew in, causing the temperature in the room to drop several degrees and perched himself on the desk. "Are you okay?" he asked, his tone dripping with concern.

Jamie flopped down onto his bed. His thoughts wandered momentarily to the dream he had. His conversation with Estella... it had seemed so real. Like she was really there. "I'm okay," he responded, though it sounded like he was obviously not.

"Tell me about it," Jack said.

"Nothing crazy will happen, right?" Jamie asked, cautiously. The winter spirit laughed.

"What sort of crazy?"

Jamie looked around, warily. "I don't know... frost bunnies?"

Jack fixed him with a weird and slightly bewildered look. "It's not Easter." He smiled a little. "Anyway, shouldn't you be getting to work?"

Jamie turned sharply to check the time and began panicking when he saw he had only five minutes before his shift began. "I'm late!" he exclaimed, as though it wasn't obvious enough, and began getting dressed at top speed, pulling on his coat and shoes as the winter spirit watched, amused. "See you later, Jack!" he called as he headed towards the door.

"Hey, Jamie!" Jack called. "It's Saturday! I don't think the cafe's opened, or did they suddenly decided to change that?"

Jamie halted in his tracks. His eyes traveled over to a calendar hanging on the wall and sure enough, it was a Saturday. The boy groaned and returned to his bedroom. "Thanks a lot, Jack," he said.

Jack let out a burst of laughter. "You should've seen yourself!"

Jamie sank into his chair at his desk. "Yeah, behold, Jamie, the world's most amusing boy," he said, in a gloomy tone.

"Is there something you need to talk about?" Jack asked again.

Jamie turned to stare at the guardian. "What was Sandman doing last night?"

"Creating dreams?"

"That's good to know. Can I, like, speak to him right now?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Had a weird dream last night?"

Jamie turned back to face the wall. "I wouldn't exactly call it a dream. More like... a semi-nightmare."

Jack got down from his perch. "Perhaps what you need is a little break. And a little fun." He dragged Jamie off the chair. "Come on."

"We already went to the arcade yesterday," the boy protested. Jamie didn't exactly feel like having fun at the moment.

"Who said anything about the arcade and other forms of fun like it? What do you say we take a trip down to... let's say, the Warren?"

Jamie looked up, his eyes lit. "Seriously?"

"No, of course not, I'm just kidding," Jack replied. "Obviously, I'm serious. I mean, you went to Tooth's palace previously, right?"

Jamie smiled slightly. "Right. Fine. Take me there."

**Sorry for the late update! School has been hellish. :-( **

** Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! :-)**


	21. Chapter 21

"Think you can drop me off somewhere for a moment?"

Jack turned, raising his eyebrows at Jamie, smiling slightly, but his smile faded when he noticed the look on the 16- year old's face. It definitely wasn't one of pleasure. In fact, now that he thought about it, Jack realised Jamie's countenance hadn't exactly been merry since they took off. The boy looked like he was having a wild inner debate with himself. "Where?" Jack finally asked.

"At the airport."

Jack couldn't help but smile to himself. Well then, Jamie was in for a surprise if it was the airport. They started flying downwards and soon got a glimpse of forests below them. The airport had to be somewhere near.

"Um, Jack, I changed my mind. Lets just keep flying," Jamie said, just as they flew out of the clouds. Jack plummeted down to the earth, dragging Jamie along. The ride down was exhilarating, but Jamie wasn't smiling when they finally landed on solid ground. They were in one of the forests, but Jack took Jamie's hand and guided him in the direction of the airport.

"It's okay, Jamie," the winter spirit responded. "We have enough time for a short exchange of goodbyes."

"How did you know?"

"I overheard your conversation with your sister yesterday," Jack said, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry for eavesdropping."

"It doesn't matter," Jamie said. "Anyway, we should just head on to the Warren, don't you think? Where did you say it was? Australia? Are we really going to fly all the way to Australia?"

"Don't change the subject," Jack said. "Come on."

Jamie let go of the winter spirit's hand and landed, cat-like, on the ground. He stood up, looking miserable. "He said he would be leaving in the morning. It's almost mid-morning. He has already left."

"There was a blizzard. The plane won't be arriving for another, like, half-an hour, if my calculations are correct," Jack said. "So, you only have half-an hour, and you're currently wasting it."

Jamie looked up in surprise. "A blizzard? Did... did you create it?"

Jack smirked. "What do you think?"

Jamie just stood there, gaping, before Jack seized his hand and they raced through the forest. Frost swirled on the trunks of trees where Jack touched them. The winter spirit flew low, to avoid branches. They were soon out of the forests and on the road leading to the airport.

"I can't fly you any further or you'll be all over the news tomorrow," Jack said. He pointed out several taxis whizzing past. "Perhaps you could take one of those.

A cab was hailed and Jamie got in as fast as he could. "Airport," he told the driver. "And don't worry. I do have cash with me."

The cab sped off and Jamie kept an eye on the time. He could see Jack flying alongside it, but unlike how he would've usually felt, his thoughts wandered over to what would happen once he arrived at the airport. What would he say?

Before he knew it, the cab had arrived at the airport. Fifteen minutes of the half hour had passed and Jamie hurried into the building, with Jack beside him. The winter spirit pointed out where he had to go and Jamie tore through the crowds. Adults stared at him as he ran past, and several children, too, but most of them had their wide eyes focused on Jack. Well, it wasn't every day a child who believed saw Jack Frost flying through an airport.

Five minutes passed quickly. Jack quickly led him to the waiting area near some shops and Jamie literally pushed everyone away to get there as he spotted the person he had been looking for.

"Jamie."

Mr. Bennett leaped to his feet. The lady was beside him and she glared at the boy. Jamie ignored her piercing looks and ran up to his father.

"What... how..." Mr. Bennett was lost for words.

"I just came to say goodbye," Jamie said, and felt fresh tears threatening to make an appearance. He blinked them back and embraced his father. The older man need not even kneel to hug him back, like he did when Jamie was a child. For a moment, the two just stood there, with the eyes of everyone in the waiting area focused on them. Jamie closed his eyes, striving to preserve the moment for as long as he could. Tears ran down Mr. Bennett's face, and this made several emotional souls around them dab at their eyes, too. That embrace said everything.

Jack watched from the door, trying to avoid getting too close, for frost swirling on it in the middle of summer was not exactly unnoticeable. He smiled to himself.

After what seemed like only a short while to Jamie and Mr. Bennett, but had actually been about five minutes, the two of them broke apart and Jamie allowed the tears to flow freely. A disembodied female voice rang out from the speakers, announcing the arrival of the flight, but there was one more thing. Jamie turned to the lady and hesitated for a moment. What was the best gesture? Finally, he merely extended his hand towards her. Her glare turned to a look of surprise and she almost reluctantly took his hand before pulling it away instantly. But just like the embrace, the brief touch and the look in Jamie's eyes said it all.

"Goodbye, son," Mr. Bennett said, beaming. "But how did you get here?"

"Long story, dad," Jamie half-laughed through the tears. Mr. Bennett managed a small smile, feeling a little guilty that there were so many things about his own son he knew nothing about. "I wish you every happiness. Both of you." Jamie turned to the lady as well.

Mr. Bennett looked like he was about to say something, but Jamie shook his head. "You don't have to say anything, dad. I thought things over last night. Just... don't forget to visit, alright?"

"We'll write," the lady spoke, all of a sudden. "Thank you, Jamie Bennett."

Jamie stood there and watched as his father walked out of the waiting area amidst the other passengers, into a promenade and boarded the plane. At the top of the stairs, he turned momentarily and waved. Jamie saw it, out of a window, and waved back, but he was too far away and hidden from view. He stood there and kept watching as the plane took off, taking with it his father and probably, his new mother, to new places and a whole new life somewhere far away.

Jamie turned back and slowly walked away from the waiting area to where Jack was waiting. Jamie managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Jack," he said.

"Hey, no problem," Jack replied, beaming. "I've got the feeling you just want to go home."

"Yeah," Jamie responded. "Sorry, Jack."

"The Warren can wait," Jack said. "Anyway, I was thinking of taking you there during Easter, so you can actually see the eggs all preparing to make their debut!"

Jamie's eyes lit up. "That would be great!" he said, but instantly attracted stares from passers-by. "Whoops," he muttered, smirking slightly. The two of them exited the building and headed back to the road.

"Wind, take me home," Jamie said to Jack, extending his hand and smirking. Jack chuckled and took hold of Jamie before both flew up above the clouds, with Jack creating wind to help Jamie fly along.

...

Jamie walked through the house, and saw the same sights. He flinched at the sight of his mother, but smiled to himself when he saw his father and the lady. He walked on towards the door, but noticed a girl he had never seen before leaning against the wall beside the door. She smiled at him and he merely returned the smile, before she walked off and vanished into thin air. Jamie opened the door and stepped into the room, only to find out there was no room.

The bed was still there, though, and all the furniture, but it seemed like the walls of the bedroom had fallen and revealed a lush, beautiful garden with real bunnies and unicorns. As Jamie watched, a phoenix flew past and winked at him. He took his seat on the bed, beside Estella, who was watching the creatures. Sophie was awake, curled up beside Estella, her head resting on the girl's shoulder and she enjoyed the view of the garden.

"Not bad, eh?" Jamie spoke. "Though, I have to admit it, I will never accept my father's decision fully."

"Well, partially is good enough," Estella replied, smiling. "At least you've cleared your head of that. And she has learnt to accept you as well."

Jamie knew she was referring to the lady, his probable new mother. He didn't reply. They sat there in silence for a few moments, watching the unicorn graze.

"But they're so far away right now," said Jamie, after a short while. "If I'm not mistaken, they moved to a country halfway round the globe."

"Ah, but the greatest illusion in the world is the illusion of separation," Estella responded. "Time is an illusion, too, and so is death."

Jamie raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we're actually all the same. All living things," Estella began to explain. "We may seem different, what with different races and ethnics, but basically, we're humans, we're the same, and we're connected, even with other living things. And even if your father is away, he's still gonna write to you, right? And he'll always be with you."

Jamie nodded slightly. "I've heard stuff like that."

Estella laughed. "Of course! This is your subconscious, right?"

"What about time and death?"

"Well, I'm... not with you, right?" she said, uncertain how to put it. "But I'll always be here." She pointed to his chest, the same spot Jack had indicated on the day of the battle against Pitch, before the winter spirit had left with the other Guardians. "Which is why you're having this conversation with me right now."

"And the illusion of time?"

Estella turned to stare at something past Jamie and she broke into a smile. Jamie turned and saw that girl again, the one he had met outside the door. He didn't seem to get it, and a moment later, she faded and so did his surroundings. Instead of cracking and breaking into pieces, Estella and Sophie slowly became translucent, and then almost transparent, before fading. The phoenix flew up into the sky and came hurtling down towards the earth, crashing into it and bursting into a thousand jewels which showered on Jamie. The boy shielded himself with his hands but when he removed them, everything had dissolved completely.

** The whole thing about separation and time and death being illusions are from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I guess there's no harm in slipping in quotes from there, is there? **

** Thanks for reading! Please review. **


	22. Chapter 22

Jack hovered outside the classroom window, peering in at the half-awake students, struggling not to doze off as the teacher rambled on and on. Jamie was among them, though he wasn't one of the sleepy ones. Caleb sat a short distance away and the pair were passing notes every time the teacher turned with his back facing the class. The only one who seemed to be paying attention was Monty, who was busy scribbling notes. Pippa had her head on the table, resting on her arm, somewhere in between the class and Dreamland while Cupcake who sat beside her was busy staring out of the window, most probably dreaming about unicorns despite her age.

Age. Aging. It had become such a foreign term for Jack. Ever since he became a Guardian, he was stuck at 17. But for the kids, they would still age and grow up, then stop believing. Well, not all of them would, but throughout the years of watching over children, Jack knew a huge number of them would stop believing in the end, having gained what they call, 'maturity'. Some still read bedtime stories of people like Jack to their kids but they didn't truly believe it. And some strictly prohibited their children from reading such books, so as not to fill their mind with fantasies. Half of the class Jack was watching at that moment had already stopped believing, he was sure.

He readjusted his position, so he would be seen by whoever who looked out the window. Cupcake spotted him immediately and beamed before waving. The teacher addressed her instantly and Jack smirked as he saw Cupcake struggling to answer the awkward questions. It would seem pretty strange to most people, as the classroom was situated on the third floor and the window looked out onto a field that was currently empty.

Jamie turned and spotted Jack. The 17-year old grinned widely, but quickly wiped it off his face and faced the front before he got on the receiving end of awkward questions. Claude and Caleb exchanged glances and shrugged, before pretending to copy notes. Jack's heart sank at this, but he reminded himself that it would happen.

But what Jack really feared was that it would happen to Jamie. His first believer. He couldn't imagine how things would be like if the boy stopped believing. Every day that passed, he was getting older. He was already older than Jack, biologically. The winter spirit's fears reached a crescendo the more he thought about it. Besides Jamie losing his belief, death also stood as a threat and a rather large obstacle between them. Jack was immortal. He had already been living for over 300 years. But Jamie was as mortal as mortal could be and anything could happen to him at any moment. Jack hurriedly shook all those thoughts out of his head and assured himself he would ensure the boy got through the day safe and sound.

But that was the problem. Jack had received a message from the Man in the Moon just several days before, reminding him that it wasn't just Jamie Bennett he was supposed to watch over, but also the children of the world. He couldn't harp too much on one boy. But Jack couldn't seem to stay away for too long from Jamie or Burgess. Furthermore, Jamie didn't really have anyone else; Sophie and his mother rarely talked to him and he hardly ever spent time with his friends. Man in the Moon had pointed out that it was because he, Jack Frost, had been spending too much time with Jamie Bennett, and in a way, it was also going to disrupt the boy's social life.

The bell rang, startling Jack and the sleepy students. The others hurriedly packed their things and were out of the class before the teacher could even dismiss them. Jack didn't budge from his perch on the windowsill, watching the kids file out of the classroom. The last one to leave was Jamie, who seemed to be taking his own sweet time to pack his stuff. When that was done, he walked slowly out of the classroom, but paused momentarily at the door and turned before performing a few gestures which Jack couldn't really comprehend. Thinking the winter spirit got it, Jamie ran out of the room.

"Hey!"

Jack swopped downwards and entered the school through the open front door, bringing with him a gust of chilly wind which sent papers flying about as the students scrambled to pick them up while shivering slightly. Jack knew it wouldn't be wise to fly through the hall in search of Jamie, but he couldn't be walking either. Still, he made his way through the crowd of students on their way to classes as fast as he could without making the wind billow about in the corridors. He headed to the third floor where he was suddenly overcame by an odd sensation. His sense of direction seemed to hone itself at that moment, and he knew where to turn. He wasn't aware of where his feet were taking him, but they seemed to know where they were going, and were moving on their own, carrying him along. Jack finally turned down one last corridor and bumped into Jamie.

"Jamie!"

"Jack!"

The boy cast quick glances around to ensure no one was about before grinning widely. "I have free period right now," he said. "Were you looking for me earlier? Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else in the world watching over children?" Jamie raised an eyebrow.

"You mean, you don't mind?" Jack asked.

"Sorry?"

"You don't mind me not being around all the time?"

Jamie fixed Jack with a weird look. "You mean, you didn't know it all along? I'm okay, Jack! You don't have to babysit me!" Jamie smirked slightly. "I guess before this I seemed pretty depressed, and I needed someone. But I'm okay now. Thanks for being there, Jack, but I don't want you to abandon your Guardian duties to keep watch over me."

"Yeah, you do seem pretty okay after you talked to your father. But your mom..."

"She'll be fine," Jamie said. "But there's something." He led Jack over to the notice board where a small crowd of students had gathered round as a notice regarding a science competition had been put up. Jamie pointed out one of the girls. "Jack, do you know that girl?"

Jack frowned slightly, trying to remember the girl's name. Of course he had seen her before, she was about the same age as Jamie and therefore fell under the category of 'children who need protection' as well. Sometimes Jack found himself questioning the rules, about watching over teenagers when they could very well fend for themselves, but there were times when he was glad such a thing existed.

"I can't remember," Jack finally said. "Well, you can't blame me, can you? I've seen millions of kids so there are millions of names running through my mind right now. I might've even seen her doppelganger!"

Jamie laughed, attracting stares from several passing students, as none of them could see Jack. "I heard she's really brainy."

"Why are you so interested in this girl?" Jack asked, smirking slightly. Jamie punched him in the arm, but not before looking around to check that no one was looking. The only ones in the corridor at that moment were the students at the notice board, however, who were still reading the notice, and taking down notes.

"Because I once saw her in a dream I had several months ago. She was supposed to be someone I was going to meet."

"Sandy has been playing tricks on you," Jack grinned.

Jamie turned to the winter spirit. "Do you think you can ask him about this?"

Jack nodded. "Sure. Look, Jamie, I don't think I can spend that much time with you anymore. I mean, there's a whole world of children to watch over."

Jamie shrugged. "Don't worry, Jack, I understand," he said. "It would be a bit lonely without you, seeing how my mom and Sophie have sort of abandoned me. But I still have friends, so don't you worry." To prove his point, Jamie waved and called out, "Yo, Monty!"

Monty, who had been one of the students gathered around the board turned and cocked an eyebrow questioningly at Jamie, who merely laughed out loud.

"Easter is in a week," Jack reminded the 17-year old. Jamie nodded.

"Is Bunny planning anything for Sophie?"

Jack smirked once more. "Yes, definitely. But he would need your help as well."

"Just tell me what it is," Jamie responded. "Anything to get Sophie to start believing again."

"Let's go somewhere quiet," the winter spirit replied, glancing around at several more students passing through the corridor. Jamie led him to the rooftop, where the Science and Garden club had some sort of mini greenhouse. They flopped onto the floor behind two large plants before Jack began, "Okay, here's the plan..."

**Not very good, in my opinion. Thanks for reading. Please review.**


	23. Chapter 23

Sophie hurried along the second floor corridor and halted outside the door to her brother's bedroom. The latter had been out the whole day with a couple of friends and was probably taking a nap. Or daydreaming, or perhaps chatting with his imaginary friends.

Sophie pressed her ear against the wooden door, trying to catch any sounds of chatter. There was none. She couldn't help thinking that it was rather odd. The next day would be Easter, but Jamie hadn't mentioned a single thing about it, unlike how he usually would.

"No more Easter Bunny tales?" Sophie had said to herself. "Aw, that would be kind of sad. No more teasing Jamie."

The 12- year old recalled previous Easters, when their father had been with them. They would have Easter dinners along with other relatives who lived around Burgess. Then there were those effervescent egg hunts, in which Jamie and Sophie had never failed to participate in. Back then, she believed in the Easter Bunny, and that included Jamie's tales of her misadventures in the Warren. She felt like a fool.

She used to enjoy listening to Jamie's tale of the Guardians and the children battling the Nightmare King, despite having listened to it a hundred times before, as she couldn't really remember much of it, having been only two, except that there was plenty of golden sand a tall furry bunny.

"I wonder if there's a Guardian of Love," she had once said to herself, only a few months back. "Perhaps it's Cupid. But whoever it is, whether I believe in them or not, will definitely be getting a piece of my mind should I ever meet them. I'm ready to bet it was their fault mom and dad separated."

Jamie answered the door almost immediately after Sophie knocked, which meant he hadn't been taking a nap. The 12- year old cast glances around the room, wondering if there were any other supernatural beings.

"There's just me," Jamie said.

"Fine," Sophie half-snapped. "Easter is tomorrow."

"So?"

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "So you're not going to do anything?"

It was Jamie's turn to raise his eyebrows questioningly. "Do what? What's there to do for Easter? There's no dinner this year, many of our relatives have moved out of Burgess to further, more interesting places and dad's not going to be with us and..."

"I heard mom wanted to take us to our aunt in the countryside."

Jamie's eyes widened. "I'm not going to back to that gloomy manor!"

Sophie grinned. "Why? Afraid Estella's ghost haunts the place?"

Jamie scowled. "Not at all. I'm not afraid of ghosts. And I'm pretty sure if Estella is still there, she doesn't haunt the whole place, just her own bedroom."

"Seriously, Jamie Bennett."

"Get real, Sophie Bennett."

"No mentions of a certain rabbit? How strange..." Sophie responded, with a small smile, as she watched her brother flop down on his bed.

"It's pretty pointless, as it seems someone has already stopped believing," Jamie said, still scowling. "Tsk, tsk. What a pity. Perhaps there is a way I can make you believe?"

Sophie frowned. "No. These creatures are not real. How can you even believe in some old wives' tale? And have an imaginary friend called Jack Frost? You know, I heard from some of my friends that you were talking to yourself in the corridor in school about a week ago! That's embarrassing!"

"What's so embarrassing about it?" Jamie snapped, defensively.

"Everyone thinks I've got an insane brother who has conversations with himself and who waves at the wind outside the window!"

"Well, everyone knows I have a sister who has absolutely no idea how to have fun!"

"Of course I know how to have fun! It's you..."

Sophie was cut off by the appearance of Mrs. Bennett in the doorway of Jamie's bedroom. She seemed to be much better compared to her condition several months before. Jamie was pleased to see that those events had helped toughened her out.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking from Jamie to Sophie and back again. "Are you two fighting?"

"Nah, just having a discussion," Jamie replied, lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Then why was I able to hear your voices all the way from the bottom of the stairs?" said Mrs. Bennett. "Come on, you two, Easter is tomorrow."

Jamie sat straight up. "Mom, we're not going to the Warrens', are we?" he asked.

Sophie burst into a fit of giggles. "You completely fell for it!" Jamie eyed her with a dangerous look, which made her glare back. The boy's heart sank. The old Sophie would've cowered or ran out, or hide behind their mother. She would've been sorry. But the new Sophie, the grown-up one, was becoming rebellious.

"No, I never thought of it," Mrs. Bennett said, not noticing the death glares her children were exchanging. "But I'm glad you mentioned it, Jamie. Mrs. Warren is all alone with just the servants to accompany her. Perhaps we could go there for Easter."

"Mom!" Jamie half-yelled. "You can't be serious! It'll be the gloomiest Easter we've ever had!"

"I hear the place isn't so gloomy anymore," responded Mrs. Bennett.

"Yeah, right. After Estella died, I'm pretty sure it fell into disrepair. Anyway, I'm not going to that depressing place."

"Suit yourself," Sophie spoke. "Mom and I are going."

Mrs. Bennett nodded. "Yeah, why not? Jamie, if you don't want to come with us, it doesn't matter. You're old enough to be left on your own, right?"

"No, you can't go!" Jamie said, scrambling out of bed. "Please, mom! Don't go!"

Mrs. Bennett half-laughed. "Jamie Bennett, when you turned 15, you were begging me to let you live on your own, go out at night with friends and such. And now, I'm leaving you home alone to do whatever you like, and you don't want me to go?"

"Yeah, like I told you, mom. He's becoming odd. And that doesn't include hallucinating and talking to imaginary friends named Jack Frost," Sophie said, sticking out her tongue at Jamie like a little kid.

"Sophie, that's enough," Mrs. Bennett chided, before turning back to her son. "You sure you're not going to come with us?" she asked. "Because the more I think about it, the more I think we should go."

"I'm coming with you," Jamie said. "I'm not spending Easter alone."

"You have your friends, you won't be alone," Sophie remarked.

"Shut up, you little rugrat!" Jamie snarled at his sister, getting a look from their mother. "Sorry, mom," he mumbled. "She's just so annoying."

Mrs. Bennett chose to ignore the last line. "We'll be leaving this evening. Get packing."

As soon as both women were out of his room, Jamie hurriedly scribbled a note and stuck it to his window before starting to pack. That night, when the winter spirit came over to finalise the plans, he would see that it read, 'Change of plans. Am heading to Warren Manor. The manor, not Bunny's place, but I don't think you're that stupid. Meet me there. Old plans may still work. Yours sincerely, Jamie.'

**Too many dialogues, I know. Sorry about that. Thanks for reading! Please review. **


	24. Chapter 24

Mrs. Bennett had not been lying. The manor had undergone many changes and a good, thorough cleaning as well, for it bore a new look. The woods surrounding the house had been cleared, and the area had been bought over by Mrs. Warren and transformed into a garden. The manor no longer retained its gloomy look, but looked rather bright and inviting. The dark roofs had been replaced with red ones and the walls had been repainted.

The interior had been refurnished and refurbished. Everything had been replaced. More windows had been installed, letting a good amount of sunlight through and the lighting had improved. The place was also spick-and-span, without the usual layer of dust and grime covering the furniture and objects. Jamie had the impression of a snake that had just shed its skin and appeared with a whole new, much more refreshing look.

"Um, mom, are we at the right place?" Sophie asked, before Jamie could, as they took in their surroundings.

Mrs. Bennett chuckled. "We are."

"Did the ghost of Estella appear in Mrs. Warren's dreams and prompt her to refurbish this old place?" responded Sophie. At this, Jamie smirked slightly, pondering on the irony of it. They were led by the same old butler into the living room where they sat carefully, to avoid damaging the new furniture in any way and also because they didn't really believe it was there and that the manor being refurbished was just a dream.

"Sophie, it would be best if you don't bring that up in front of Mrs. Warren," Mrs. Bennett chided. "I don't think 2 years is enough for someone like her."

"Oh, it should be. It didn't take me long to get over dad," Sophie said, nonchalantly.

"Soph!" Jamie snapped, frowning. He cast a worried glance at their mother, but the latter appeared unmoved by Sophie's remark. Before Jamie could say anything else, they were graced with the presence of Mrs. Bennett's sister, who, just like her house, had undergone a whole lot of changes. Despite being older than Mrs. Bennett, she was then looking about ten years younger, and almost like an older version of Estella. As she pulled their mother into a tight embrace, Jamie and Sophie exchanged curious glances. Jamie wondered if there was a Guardian of Enlightenment who had happened to pass the manor and infiltrated Mrs. Warren's mind.

"Is that Jamie? And Sophie?" she exclaimed, turning her attention to the children. "My, look at how you've grown! Come on, let me see you."

As Jamie stood up, he glanced at the portraits of his ancestors which were still where they were, only each one of them had had their frames polished till they shone. It was evident the dust on the pictures had been removed, for they looked much clearer than they had, the last time Jamie visited. His eyes traveled up the stairs, searching the portraits and they finally landed on one at the very top, almost not visible from where he stood, but it was there, alright. Jackson Overland.

"So, are we celebrating Easter?" Jamie asked, his fingers crossed. He still could not wipe out the memory of Mrs. Warren canceling Christmas after Estella's death. For all they knew, she could've given up on celebrations and holidays.

"Of course we are!" Mrs. Warren responded. "How can one not celebrate Easter? It might not be the number one holiday like Christmas, but that doesn't mean it should just be cast aside as a regular day, don't you think?"

If Bunny could hear that, Jamie thought, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"And I've invited the children from the village over for the egg hunt," their aunt went on. "The more the merrier, right?"

Jamie glanced over at his sister. "Maybe she's possessed," Sophie mouthed and Jamie couldn't contain the grin spreading across his face. The village. He had almost forgotten.

"You hid the eggs?" Mrs. Bennett asked.

"Well, the servants and I painted them, and I left it to them to hide them around the area, particularly the garden. I must say, it was kind of fun."

Sophie caught her brother's eye again and mouthed, this time, "Yes, definitely possessed."

"What about the Easter Bunny?" Jamie asked.

"What Easter Bunny, dear?"

"Well, you know. The rabbit who paints and hides the eggs? He might've left some eggs of his own as well."

Sophie rolled her eyes as Mrs. Warren replied, "He doesn't exist, Jamie, but I'll let the children think the opposite. When they're older, they will understand there's no such thing and that every Easter, the eggs will be hidden by the adults. And you, Jamie, a boy of 17, don't tell me you're still believing in all those fairy tales!"

Here we go again, thought Jamie, sighing inaudibly. The butler then led them out into the garden where they loitered about, while awaiting the children's arrival. Sophie couldn't contain her curiosity and checked beneath the bushes to see if she could find any of those eggs first.

"You're getting an unfair advantage," Jamie remarked, but was ignored. After a few moments, he decided to bring it up. "Soph, you really don't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore?" he asked.

Sophie looked up. "Of course not," she replied, before resuming her search. "Thought you were already sure of that. And there's really no way you can get me to believe, so don't try."

"Why won't you believe? Is it a sin to you?"

"No. I just think it's all really silly. There's no such thing as bunnies hiding eggs on a special day for children to collect, except in fairy tales. And you know very well I don't read those anymore," Sophie said.

Jamie didn't give an immediate reply as he watched Sophie pluck out her first egg from a hydrangea bush. "Well, whether you like it or not, the Easter Bunny has a gift for you today," he finally spoke.

Sophie frowned. "Seriously, Jamie Bennett. Did the Easter Bunny morph into Santa Claus all of a sudden?"

"Nope. He didn't even ask for the latter's help."

Jamie turned and spotted Jack perched high up in an elm, frost swirling all over the bark. The winter spirit pointed at the ground and a moment later, a hole opened up. As the Guardian of Fun flew out of the elm and upwards, Jamie hurriedly turned back to Sophie.

"Sophie! We have to get inside immediately!" Jamie exclaimed, grabbing his sister's arm and half-dragging her back to the manor. "Can't you feel that chill? There's going to be a snowstorm!"

"In spring. Very cool, Jamie," Sophie responded, a scowl etched on her face.

Just as she said that, the sky turned a flint-grey and slowly turned all dark and gloomy. The temperature dropped several degrees as snow began drifting down. Sophie finally stopped resisting and followed Jamie into the house, where their mother and aunt were gazing out at the snow, pondering aloud what had happened. Jamie dragged his sister past them and up the stairs, past the gleaming portrait of Jackson Overland and into the room they had previously used on their last visit.

"Look here, Sophie!" Jamie said. "That snowstorm isn't an accident! It's Jack Frost! He and the Easter Bunny, along with me, have hatched a plan to try and get you to believe again. You remember what happened seven years ago, don't you? Maybe you don't remember all of it, but you do remember enough. How can you just take it as a dream? I meant what I said earlier, about the Easter Bunny having something in store for you. Being the Easter Bunny, there's not really much he can give you, but I just hope it'll be enough to bring back your memories and your belief."

Sophie was stunned. She could see in her brother's brown eyes that he was telling the ultimate truth. But at that moment, the ultimate truth didn't seem to make any sense. She couldn't tell why her brother's belief in characters from folklore and mythology was so strong. Could it be real? Somehow, she knew Jamie wasn't insane. Well, not yet. But who was the one who had been hallucinating and talking to himself? Who had presented her a box of teeth? No doubt she had seen memories of her childhood, some of them were happy ones she had almost forgotten, but it was still beyond odd.

"Jamie, look..."

"Can you just give me a chance?" Jamie asked, his eyes pleading. "I'll prove to you I'm not mad. I've not been hallucinating. I promise you won't regret this."

Sophie didn't give an immediate reply. There was really no harm in believing her brother for once, something she always did when she was younger. Had he ever tricked her? Well, yes, definitely. But at the end of the day, they were all just jokes and some of his tricks. But at that moment, he seemed pretty sincere and desperate. Exasperated, even.

"Fine! But just this once!" she snapped.

Jamie heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Soph," he said. "Like I said, you won't regret it. Come down to the garden immediately as soon as the snowstorm is over."

"This will probably last for hours," Sophie responded, gesturing towards the window, at the snow falling thickly and heavily outside. Jamie smiled.

"Just believe in Jack Frost. He'll clear this thing in a matter of minutes." With that, Jamie ran out of the room and thundered down the stairs.

Sophie turned to glance at the window, and was slightly appalled when, in a couple of minutes, the snowstorm stopped as suddenly as it had began. She hurried downstairs, pausing for a moment at Jackson Overland's portrait. She recalled having seen before a boy who looked exactly like him, only with white hair and different garments. Jack Frost. She vividly remembered Jamie desperately telling their mother this was the portrait of Jack Frost, painted before he died.

Sophie hurried down the rest of the way, with that growing feeling inside her. The feeling that Jamie was telling the truth, despite how senseless it sounded. She ran past Mrs. Warren and Mrs. Bennett who were wondering about the village children and raced to the garden, but skidded to a halt as she saw what rested in it.

A gigantic egg, about her height, and three times her width stood in a part of the garden that was free from bushes and trees. The egg had been beautifully painted, with such skill Sophie had never seen before. She couldn't help but feel certain that even her art teacher couldn't hold a candle to the painting displayed on the egg. She noticed paintings of a blonde girl gracing the egg as well, and it took her a moment before she realised it was her. The first one was a painting of her as a two-year old, the second, a child, third, at her current age. As she rounded the egg, she spotted a message painted on it;

_Happy Easter, ankle-biter. -Bunnymund_

She stood there, gaping at it. "He's real," she finally said, in barely a whisper, before sensing the sudden presence of someone else besides Jamie in the garden.

**Thanks for reading and happy Easter! Please review.**


	25. Chapter 25

Jamie watched with bated breath as his sister slowly turned away from the giant egg. He could see fear clearly etched on her face, but it didn't matter, it would be wiped off soon enough.

Jack was perched on a tree, causing frost to swirl all over the bark and standing a short distance away from Jamie was the Easter Bunny himself, watching anxiously as Sophie's gaze lingered on each one of them, trying to absorb everything. Her eyes were still wide with shock and Jamie was suddenly afraid she would lose her belief again.

"Sophie, meet Bunnymund, the Easter Bunny," he jumped in with the introductions. Sophie just stared before shifting her gaze to the frosted tree. "Jack Frost?" she wondered aloud, as the winter spirit materialised before her. "They're real? They're real!"

Sophie's expression changed quickly as shock and fear moved out to be replaced by surprise and delight. Memories came flooding back to her. Still, she took a few tentative steps towards Bunnymund.

"Good to have ya back, ankle-biter," he spoke, startling Sophie ever so slightly. A grin broke out on her face all of a sudden. More memories came back, and the ones made in the Warren when she was two flashed across her mind. Without thinking, she lunged forward and threw her arms around the pooka.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "How could I ever stop believing? I finally remembered!"

Jack smiled to himself. "Thanks, Tooth," he muttered under his breath.

It seemed like an eternity before Sophie finally released the Guardian of Hope and for a moment, everyone just stood where they were before a loud voice rang out across the garden, from the house.

"Jamie! Sophie!"

"Mom!" Jamie exclaimed, turning to see his mother running towards the garden. Turning back, he noticed that the egg had already vanished, though the two Guardians were still there. Jack had leaped off the tree, and the bark was just defrosting.

"What are you two doing here?" Mrs. Bennett asked, as she came up to the two adolescents, blind to the presence of the Guardians.

"Er... celebrating Easter," Jamie said, grinning slightly. He turned and exchanged a look with his sister. "Weren't we, Soph?"

Sophie returned the grin. "Yeah, mom, there's really nothing to worry about... Hey, are those the village children?"

Mrs. Bennett hurried to the edge of the garden which had been fenced with a low wall. "Yeah! They're here! Hurry up and inform your aunt! Quick!"

As the two of them cast one last glance at the Guardians before speeding off towards the house, Jamie turned to his sister.

"You know...," he spoke, as he jogged. "... spring and Easter represent new life and new beginnings."

Sophie merely smiled.

...

"Seriously, who wrote this stuff?"

"I did."

"I'm not surprised."

Jamie flipped through his manuscript. "What's wrong with it?"

"Have you counted the number of grammatical errors in there? And the way you write? Short, simple sentences that bore me to death even though the storyline is pretty interesting," Sophie expressed her opinion.

"What are you, OCD or something? It's not like you were ever top in English! Anyway, these are just drafts, so ignore the short sentences," Jamie retorted.

Sophie picked up her pencil and continued sketching. The siblings were sprawled out on the floor in Jamie's bedroom, with his story drafts, Sophie's sketches of the Guardians and scenes from the story as well as pencils and eraser dust. After Sophie had started believing in the Guardians once more, Jamie once again showed her his manuscript and suggested she illustrate it with several sketches and paintings. Sophie had liked the idea, but his manuscript had only received criticisms from her.

"You should rewrite it," Sophie suggested, chewing the top of her pencil as she gazed at her sketch of one of the scenes between Pitch Black and Jack Frost. "This doesn't seem right. Looks like I kind of got the expressions wrong here." She held up the sketch. "Pitch is trying to get Jack to work with him, but in this, don't you think they look like they're about to fall in love?"

Jamie slapped his forehead. "Please, Soph, no crack pairings."

Sophie giggled. "Hey, you're a writer, you're supposed to have a vivid imagination! I've been sketching fan art of the Guardians shipped with one another! And I actually thought of shipping names. Frostbite, Jack and Tooth. Sweet Tooth, Bunny and Tooth. And so on and so forth."

"Ha ha. Very creative," Jamie said, rolling his eyes. "Is matchmaking the Guardians your early Christmas present for them?"

"No, but Jamie, add a scene at the end of the story in which Tooth hugs Jack! And they gaze into each other's eyes... ow!"

Sophie rubbed the spot on her arm where Jamie had hit her. "Come on, it's not that bad. She had been fangirling all over him, anyway, since the beginning. Put it in, or I'm not doing anymore illustrating!"

Jamie scowled, mulling it over for a moment. "Okay, fine!" he said, finally, making a note in one his drafts as Sophie watched with a satisfied smile. He held up the draft and flashed it in Sophie's face. "Happy now?"

"Very," the blonde girl replied.

At that moment, the door opened and Mrs. Bennett walked in. Jamie hurriedly gathered up his drafts and papers, but Sophie merely sat where she was, her sketches remained where they were.

"What are the two of you doing? You know, it's finally glad to see you two together again," she said, before catching sight of the papers in Jamie's arms and Sophie's sketches. "What project are you working on?"

"Nothing, mom!" Jamie hurriedly replied, with a much-too-bright smile.

"We're putting together a picture book," Sophie said, nonchalantly.

"That's nice," Mrs. Bennett said, smiling slightly. "Can I have a look?" She sat down beside Sophie and studied her sketches as Jamie reluctantly put down his drafts. Mrs. Bennett turned to those next and skimmed through a few pages. Sophie and Jamie watched, trying to discern her expression. After what seemed like forever, Mrs. Bennett finally looked up from the drafts.

"What do you think, mom?" Jamie asked, cautiously.

Mrs. Bennett gave him an unnerving stare, and for a moment, Jamie thought she was going to reprimand him for writing such stories with characters that, to an adult, can never be real. Then, she broke into a smile.

"Jamie, it's magical," she breathed, before picking up one of Sophie's sketches. "How did you dream up such a storyline?"

"Lets just say he got some help from a friend," Sophie remarked. "And a book series."

"But the sentences... Jamie, don't you think they're a little short?"

"Ugh, I get it, mom! Those are just drafts, not the actual chapters. And please don't say we're not supposed to indulge in such fantasies at this age."

"Writing is pretty harmless, so long as you don't start to daydream," Mrs. Bennett responded. "And of course, don't go around claiming these characters are real and that they're around us." She shot Jamie a small smile, before getting to her feet. "Be sure to let me read it once it's complete." With that, she hurried out of the room.

"Well, little brother, let's pick up the pace, shall we, since we've got the whole evening, let's not waste it," Sophie said, picking out a fresh new piece of paper.

"I'm older than you."

"Whatever."

**Thanks for reading and all the support! Please review. **


	26. Chapter 26

Spring was almost drawing to an end. The students of Burgess were really looking forward to the summer, despite the heat. However, a new fear had formed in Jamie and Sophie as they watched their mother pore over ideas for a summer vacation, wondering where she was going to ship them off to that summer.

"Perhaps she might take us to deserts!" Sophie said.

"Yeah, where we'll die in the heat in two seconds flat," Jamie deadpanned. "Or all the way up north or down south, where we'll get frostbitten and freeze to death."

"Or someplace where it's currently winter and overrun with kangaroos," added a voice.

Jamie and Sophie turned and spotted Jack perched on a tree outside the window, peering in. The winter spirit leaped off the branch and landed lightly in Sophie's bedroom.

"How rude. You didn't even knock," Sophie complained. The winter spirit looked surprised for a moment before that look morphed into one of mischief. "Pardon me, your highness," he said, bowing low, before flying backwards and landing on the windowsill. He rapped hard on the window.

"I didn't say you could come in," Sophie said, just as Jack was about to enter once more. There was the hint of a smile on her lips as she turned back to Jamie.

"Get a picture of him, Jamie. He looks cute like that, perched on a windowsill," said Sophie, grinning, tossing a camera at her brother, whmi barely caught it.

"Stop messing with him, Soph," he said, before holding up the camera. "Smile, Jack!"

"Hey!" Jack was about to fly upwards, but Jamie had already taken a shot. Sophie looked over his shoulder to see it.

"But... there's nothing," she said. "Jamie, did you..."

"Yeah, I did," Jamie responded. He held the camera out towards Jack, who was back on the windowsill. "Have a look for yourself, Jack. The window and walls and tree are in the picture, but you aren't."

Jack glanced at it, without coming too close, in case he froze the electronic gadget. "Perhaps I had already flown up," he said.

"No, you didn't. You only flew up after it was taken."

"Ooh, looks like the camera doesn't believe in you."

"I guess it's because he's a spirit," Jamie deduced, with a small smile. "Too bad. We could've added it to the book's illustrations."

"How are you planning to get that thing out into the world, anyway?" Jack asked.

Jamie and Sophie exchanged glances. "Let's just say... we're going to find out," Sophie responded, with a small smile. "Do you happen to know anything about publishing a book?"

Before Jack could answer, there was a loud knock on the door and Mrs. Bennett poked her head in. "Jamie? Sophie? There's someone from school here to see you."

Someone from school? As far as the siblings knew, they hadn't invited any of their friends over that day and there was currently no urgent project demanding to be finished, so the latter would have no plans of coming over anyway. A thought struck Jamie. Was it Caleb, whom Jamie owed 50 cents from the previous week?

"Who is it?" Sophie asked. Jamie glanced at Jack and Mrs. Bennett, but the latter didn't seem to notice the former. Well, that was pretty normal.

"Not one of your classmates, I suppose," Mrs. Bennett answered. "I've never seen her around before. Why don't you just take a break from writing stories and come down?"

One backward glance at the window told Jamie that Jack had gone. Where to, he didn't really know. Downstairs, perhaps, to see who the visitor was. He wouldn't fly off just like that.

It had been some time since Jamie and Sophie actually hung out in the living room. Every day, they would return from school, pass right through it without really noticing anything, grab lunch in the kitchen, or having done so earlier, before heading upstairs to complete homework and pursue their hobbies or work on the book, which didn't seem to be turning out well. Jamie still had insecurities, and tried to spend as much time with his sister as possible, lest the bond between them should break. He didn't want to go back to that era when it seemed he was all alone, with a sister who thought he was a lunatic, a broken mother and a womaniser of a father.

The living room had changed a lot, having been refurnished and redecorated. The absence of a layer of dust which covered several pieces of furniture most of the time showed that the place was dusted and cleaned regularly. Almost like they were expecting guests. At that moment, one unexpected one sat on the couch, gazing around inquisitively before turning sharply as they entered.

It was her. The girl from his dream. The one Estella had said he would meet. Someone who would obviously play an important role in his life. How important? He was about to find out. Jamie took a tentative step towards her. "And you are...?"

"Emily. And I think that's all you really need to know," the girl responded. She was sitting with her legs together, back slightly bent forwards, arms resting on her thighs, hands clasped together.

"Er... nice to meet you. But we don't really know you," Sophie said. Emily merely smiled.

"I've just heard rumours that you're penning something," she spoke. "A book or something similar." Seeing that Sophie was about to object, she hurriedly gushed out her next line. "I think I can help you."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "How so?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jack appearing at the window, unseen by Emily, who had her back to him.

"Well... my father used to work with publishing companies before he... um, disappeared, and I thought perhaps I could help you out a little, with what I know."

"Why do you want to help us so much? We barely know you," Sophie said, bluntly, receiving Jamie's elbow in her ribs. "Ow!"

"I... My..." the girl seemed to struggle as she tried to get the right words out. "I... um, think you have good prospects."

Sophie sniggered. "Oh, I see you're also a seer or a fortune-teller. Well, we're not really interested in your services. Ow!"

Jamie gazed at the girl, taking her in. That familiar look in her eyes. There was something behind all of it. There was also a hint of desperation, though he couldn't figure out why. Finally, he took a few steps forward and nodded. "We'll show it to you."

#

"Black and white? Are you sure about that?" Sophie asked for the millionth time. Emily merely nodded, a look of boredom and exasperation slowly creeping onto her face, but that odd look in her eyes stayed unfazed. She flipped through the pages of illustrations Sophie had taken painstaking measures with and suggesting she redo them in black and white.

"They don't seem alive." was Emily's next comment. Sophie exchanged glances with her brother.

"What do you mean they're not alive?"

Emily looked up at them from over the top of a sheet of paper. "You pay too much attention to detail. To making it flawless. But little to what it really means." Her gaze moved down to the corresponding page in the written manuscript. "And it doesn't really capture the full focus of the chapter."

Sophie understood that last part, making her reach out and snatch back the papers from an appalled Emily, whose emotions seem to surface before being suppressed and then resurfacing, and yet again, suppressed. "Look, I don't know who you are, I know you're just the daughter of some lost guy formerly from a publishing company, but I don't really think you should be sitting here commenting on our work. We didn't even invite you."

"What is it that you really want?" Jamie asked, peering at the girl's face. She hurriedly shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said. "Sophie has a point. You should write it without the influence of others' comments and feedback, until you're almost done with it." She got to her feet. "I should be going."

"Hey, just ignore Sophie. She's... probably in one of her mood swings," Jamie spoke, earning himself a glare from his sister. Well, at least he didn't blurt out that she was always like that.

"It's okay. It's getting late anyway." She was on her way out before stopping in the doorway and digging through a satchel she had brought along. She pulled out a book and flung it at Jamie, who caught it deftly. "I think you would find whatever you need in there." With that, she walked out.

"Weirdo," Sophie muttered before crossing over to Jamie and peering at the book. It was rather thick, almost like a novel. Printed across the front page was its title.

"Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. This year's edition," Jamie read out before flipping through. His eyes lit up as he spotted something. "Sophie, check this out!"

The two of them pored over the book for the next couple of hours before Mrs. Bennett came in and announced dinnertime.

"Who was that girl?" Mrs. Bennett inquired, as they ate.

"Jamie's new girlfriend."

"Hey!"

Mrs. Bennett raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen her around before. She seemed pretty friendly. Did you find out her name?"

"Emily," Jamie replied shortly. "New student. My guess is she just transferred here, which is why you haven't seen her around before. Oh yes, mom. One request. Can I stay back in school tomorrow? I won't be long, just probably for half-an hour or so."

**Sorry for the late update. There was a test, and I just caught a reading bug after that. And the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is awesome. Just sayin'. Sorry if you don't agree. And this OC... please don't be mad IF I kill her off in the end. **

** Thanks for reading and please review! The next chapter will be up by probably tomorrow. **


	27. Chapter 27

The sound of music reached Jamie's ears as he neared the classroom. There was really no need to peer in to know it was the music club's meeting area. Up ahead, he was greeted with the clashing sound of metal on metal. Fencing club. Not the hall either. He turned down another lonely corridor and heard a strange whirring sound emanating from one of the classrooms.

Peering in, he saw a group of boys no older than he was gathered around a strange-looking metal object which was where the whirring sound originated from. "Um... excuse me..." Jamie began, interrupting the nerds.

"Jamie Bennett?" said one of the boys, whom Jamie only knew as Ben, turning away from the metal machine and beaming at Jamie. "All of a sudden taking an interest in robotics?"

The nerd stepped aside and Jamie got a full-view of the metal machine, only to see that it was a robot the nerds had been putting together. The brunette couldn't help thinking that it looked really cool, and for a moment, was distracted from his current mission.

"Is that... a robot?" Jamie inquired, taking a few steps towards it.

The head swivelled round and round all of a sudden, making Jamie move backwards, before stopping as suddenly as it had began. "Greetings, human," it spoke, in a flat, monotonous voice.

Jamie was about to say something to the nerds when he noticed all of them staring at the robot intently, as though waiting for something. "Human, human, human," went the robot, its head swivelling around wildly. The nerds all sighed and began talking among themselves.

"What happened?" Jamie inquired.

"It keeps repeating the last word of every sentence," responded Ben, exasperation clearly written on his face. "We have to work on it, but we're running out of time!"

"Running out of time?"

"Well, yeah, we have a convention tomorrow. A robot convention," Ben explained, his eyes lighting up for a moment before his expression fell as he turned back to the contraption they had put together. "But it looks like the school's going to be made a laughingstock by this guy!" Ben gestured rudely at the robot, before turning back to Jamie. "Oh, what was it you wanted? I refuse to believe that Jamie Bennett had just developed an interest in robotics. That's like saying Proxima Centauri isn't 4.2 light years away!"

"I was just wondering, do you happen to know where the meeting of the journalism club is today?"

"No idea. We don't exactly know the exact location of the other clubs," Ben replied. "Though I know fencing and music's right down this hall, you really can't miss either of them!"

"Right. Thanks. Good luck with the convention!" he called to the other nerds before turning to the metal machine they were working on. "Good luck to you, robot."

"You too, human."

Jamie smirked slightly as he heard the word 'human' being repeated as he hurried out of the room and sprinted down the corridor. He finally managed to locate the janitor who showed him the way. The school wasn't exactly small.

"Jamie Bennett! What a surprise!" Pippa said, as Jamie knocked loudly on the door of the classroom the members of the journalism club were having their usual daily meeting in. Jamie had never really been fond of journalists, but at that moment, he was trying to find someone who could actually help him out with his writing. Jamie was really no writer, and upon rereading his manuscript, he discovered many errors and had almost dozed off.

"You're writing a book?" Pippa asked, incredulously, once Jamie had finished clarifying the reason for his unexpected visit. He merely nodded in reply. "Well, why don't you hand it in to Mrs. MacBeth, the English teacher? She's got OCD, so she'll be able to single out every mistake in there."

"Well, teachers don't exactly have all the time in the world, do they?" Jamie responded. "And anyway, I was thinking it would be best if you read through it first, to keep the mistakes down to a minimum before I actually let Mrs. MacBeth see it."

He handed over the manuscript and watched as Pippa and the others pored over it, pointing out certain things to each other and scribbling freely on the pages.

"Well, what do you think of this? It's no polished manuscript, but I think we managed to keep the errors down to a minimum, just like you requested. For these few pages only, though. What about the rest?" Pippa said, handing Jamie back his papers.

Jamie didn't give an immediate response, but before he could, Pippa spoke again. "You're odd, Jamie Bennett," she said, smiling slightly. "You were never the best in English class, and all of a sudden you're trying to pen a novel. And you never grow up. I realise Jack Frost is the protagonist of this story." At this, the other members sniggered. "Well, if you really need help from someone who's good at this sort of stuff and has a lot of free time, you could try Emily April, that new girl."

Jamie looked up at Pippa, who was watching him. "Emily?"

"Yeah." Pippa nodded.

Jamie's thoughts wandered back to the previous day. So Emily was supposedly good at this sort of stuff. She probably knew it herself. Why did she seek him out? How did she come to know that he was writing a novel? As far as he knew, Jamie hadn't told many, except Claude, who just laughed out loud and congratulated him on having a sense of humour. Had she been stalking him? At this thought, Jamie glanced around cautiously, almost expecting to spot the girl ducking into a classroom to hide or something similar. Of course, there was no one.

Jamie thanked Pippa and left the members alone, before heading to the exit. He was so wrapped in his thoughts that he didn't notice where he was walking and bumped right into another student, causing her to drop the pile of books she had been carrying in surprise. He bent to help her, and upon handing them back, saw that it had been Emily he had bumped into.

"Hi there!" Jamie greeted. "What a coincidence! I was just thinking about you!"

Whoops, that came out wrong.

The girl cocked her head to one side, studying Jamie. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "You dropped by my house yesterday, don't you remember?"

The girl's brow crinkled. "I did? No, sorry, I don't remember. Please excuse me." She walked last a confused Jamie, feeling equally confused herself. She hadn't gone far before she turned. "But there's something strikingly familiar about you." With that, she was on her way.

**Thanks for reading! Please review. **


	28. Chapter 28

Sophie took a step back and viewed the painting, instantly feeling a great sense of satisfaction. The colours blended beautifully and her subjects seemed so lifelike. Her eyes darted to a spot where a blob of black paint had tarnished earlier due to her clumsiness. There was just a shade of sea-green in its place, with a slightly darker hue. Sophie grinned.

"Thanks, Bunny."

"Anything for ya, little ankle-biter."

Sophie turned back to the empty easel and sighed. "One down, twenty or so more to go." She turned to the Pooka who stood beside her. It was so strange to see such a creature in her bedroom, but Sophie was getting used to his frequent visits. She couldn't help but wonder, at times, how she could've stopped believing. Something like that... it was not something you see every day, yet, her belief still slipped.

The door swung open and Pippa came bounding in, not noticing the six-foot rabbit, in fact, passing right through him, before flopping down on Sophie's bed. She squinted at the newly-finished painting, propped up against the foot of the bed. "Not bad," she commented. "Where did you find the time for this, anyway? I thought you and your brother were too busy putting together a book." Sophie didn't give an immediate reply, but continued to stare at the easel, trying to get some inspiration, but at that moment, an empty easel wasn't the best source of inspiration. Bunnymund stayed silent, watching her and Pippa, slightly disappointed that the latter no longer believed in him, but it was pretty normal. Well, at least she still celebrated Easter and had even hid the eggs once. Well, everyone her age believed the adults hid the eggs every year.

"An art showcase is something big, Sophie. Do you think you have the time?" asked Pippa.

"Sure I do," replied Sophie, nonchalantly. "It's not like Jamie and I spend all our hours on the book anyway. Even if it does seem like it, it's him, not me, who harps on it every day. He's actually trying to persuade mom to let him take writing classes, because he isn't actually the writer type."

"Do you think he'll let me read the manuscript?"

"Sure... in your dreams. He says he's too embarrassed to show anything he wrote to anyone else save for a few 'selected' ones." Sophie rolled her eyes before crossing over to her desk and carefully lifting a digital camera. She had recently found a new passion for photography, though she didn't enjoy it as much as she enjoyed painting. She had signed herself up for an art showcase despite Jamie's protests, as it would secure her a place in a good art school in future, which was where she was planning to head to. Turning round to face Bunny, she raised the camera to take a picture, but saw only her bed and the easel in the background on the screen. Cameras simply do not believe in the Guardians.

"You know... you should take a snapshot of Jamie poring over that tome he's writing. Get the expression on his face when he's working, and call it... whatever expression's on his face. That's what they're looking for in your works."

Sophie sank onto her chair, just as the door swung open and Jamie marched in, looking all hot and flustered. His sister raised her eyebrows before remarking, "I didn't hear a knock."

"Well, you don't knock before entering my room anyway," Jamie said, dumping a tin rectangular cookie box on Sophie's desk, in which he kept the manuscript. He was about to greet Bunny, but the sight of Pippa on Sophie's bed stopped him. "But there's something you should know. I think Emily has short-term memory loss."

Sophie's eyebrows shot up higher. "What do you mean? She forgot everything about algebra? Come on, Jamie, that's pretty normal."

"No, she couldn't recognise me. Though she did mention I was 'strikingly familiar'. Her words, not mine."

"Who's this Emily you're talking about?" Bunny and Pippa asked at the same time, though of course, the latter could not hear the former.

"The new girl," Jamie responded. "You know, the one who always looks like she has a thousand things on her mind?"

Pippa frowned slightly, thinking. "Oh... her. Yeah, she does seem pretty weird. Well, I'm not really surprised. Our school seems to be swarming with weird people. Have you seen what the Robotic Club created? A living nightmare which won't stop repeating words! I mean, who creates stuff like that anyway?"

"Well, I think it was pretty good," Jamie said, defending the members of the Robotic Club. "Anyway, it's for a convention, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won something. Except for the constant repetition of words, I think that contraption was genius." He turned back to Sophie. "What do you think?"

Sophie shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no idea if you're talking about Emily or the nerds. The former... well, it could be her doppelgänger. The latter... I don't care."

Jamie prised open the lid of the tin box before withdrawing one of Sophie's illustrations and holding it up. "Pippa, what do you think of yourself?"

Pippa raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't know I was in your story," she said, smiling slightly, clearly amused. "What sort of role do I play?"

"A most unimportant role," Sophie replied, browsing photos on her camera. "All you do is have snowball fights and believe in the Guardians."

"Well, we did have plenty of snowball fights but what Guardians?"

"Long story," Sophie replied, shortly.

However, Jamie was not ready to give up that easily. Despite the fact that his friends were all in their late teens, definitely older than Sophie and much more practical than him, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he may be able to convince them to believe again, just like with Sophie.

"Pippa, what if, one Easter, all the adults stopped hiding the eggs? Stopped painting them?" He noticed Bunny look up in surprise out of the corner of his eye, but avoided looking at the Pooka.

"Nothing of that sort will happen, Jamie Bennett," she responded. "Everyone knows Easter represents new life. Hope. Won't the adults want every child to have hope?"

"Ooh, sometimes I forget how grown up you are, Pippa," Sophie mocked, crossing over to her easel. "Should I paint a portrait of you at your mental age, which is like, 60, 70, maybe?" She grinned.

Pippa rolled her eyes. "And I forget how annoying you can get, Sophie Bennett." She redirected her attention to Jamie. "What was your point?"

"If adults stopped or maybe forgot to hide the eggs one Easter, do you think the kids will find eggs?"

The girl's brow creased into a frown. "Obviously not."

"Well, how about you try it next Easter? Get everyone in Burgess to not hide eggs and see if any pop up. Or you could paint your eggs a dull colour and see of there are any brightly-coloured ones."

Pippa sighed. "I know where you're going, Jamie. You have to wake up, okay? This is the real world, such things only exist in our imagination." She got up and prepared to leave. "And right now, the imagination does not really matter any more."

"You sound like Monty," Sophie remarked.

"I certainly do not," Pippa responded, indignantly, hand on the doorknob. "Anyway, I have to go. See ya."

As soon as Pippa left the room, Sophie turned to stare at Jamie. Her eyes flickered between her brother and the Pooka, who had been watching everything with great interest. "Epic fail, Jamie Bennett," she spoke, before bursting into peals of laughter.

Jamie felt a soft paw on his shoulder and turned to come face to face with the six-foot rabbit. However, Jamie was also growing fast and was almost level with the Pooka. "Don't ya worry, mate," the latter said. "It is pretty normal for teenagers and adults to stop believing. And look, it's so different, the way you communicate. So different from many years ago."

"Well, since we were involved in the battle with Pitch, I think they shouldn't stop believing," Jamie responded. "I mean, it isn't impossible to bring back their beliefs, right? Like Sophie..."

"Perhaps you might want to do some reorganising lest this thing turns into a box of garbage," Sophie interrupted loudly, shoving the tin box in her brother's face. Bunny stared at it as Jamie sank onto the floor and sorted through the papers, with the Pooka watching intently, and viewing as well as reading several of what Sophie drew and he wrote. About half-an hour passed before Jamie looked up.

"Soph?"

"What?"

"It's finished."

**Yay! It's exam week! -.- Sorry for the late update, was busy studying and my grandmother had recently passed away, so I haven't... been all there. Thanks for reading, favouriting, following and reviewing! **

** Please review. :-) **


	29. Chapter 29

Sophie pushed her way through the hall thronged with students, clutching the tin box to her chest, attracting several curious stares. Silently cursing Jamie, she turned down a corridor and ran into a group of sophomores who had a reputation as the school bullies.

"Cookies for sale, Sophie Bennett?" one of them sneered.

"Can we have some on the house?" another laughed, reaching out to grab the box but Sophie dodged and hurried on, only to find her way blocked by a third one, who took her by surprise and snatched the box out of her arms. Being taller than her, they held it out of her reach, sniggering as they watched her try to get it back, her face mutated with anger.

"What have you got here? Not just cookies, I guess?" smirked the first sophomore, who tugged off the lid of the box and shook out its contents.

It didn't affect Sophie in any way to watch her illustrations and Jamie's complete manuscript fall to the ground but it broke her heart to see the sophomores picking them up and manhandling them.

"Wow, look at this! It's a picture of a white-haired flying boy!" whooped one of the sophomores.

"Those are mine! I want them back now!" Sophie yelled angrily, attracting the stares of everyone who happened to be walking by, but none dared to help her after receiving glares from a fourth one in the group, who was on the lookout for any busybodies.

"I wonder of the paint will wash off if we put it in the drinking fountain," wondered the third one aloud, sparking laughter amongst the others. The first one picked up the manuscript before Sophie could gather them and read out the first line, dramatically.

"_Darkness. That's first thing I remember_." All four burst them into peals of laughter. "What sort of childish story is this?" He turned and hurried off with it. Sophie watched him go, torn between saving her paintings or Jamie's manuscript. With all her might, she slammed into one of the bullies, knocking him against the wall. It wasn't the best thing she could've done, though, as her illustrations were crushed in his fist as he fell against the wall. He glared at her and was about to swing out at her when a soft crackling sound was heard and the boy froze.

The hand that was on the wall was wrapped in ice. The boy let out a yell as he tried to tug himself free, obviously fearing frostbite or the supernatural force that caused his hand to freeze against the wall. The other two watched in surprise and shock and Sophie exploited the moment to gather her illustrations, but one of them recovered and stepped on her hand, preventing her from picking them up. He didn't step hard, and it didn't hurt, but Sophie knew he wouldn't hold back if she continued. They were just cowards. Just trying to frighten her. But before she could do anything else, a loud whack resonated as something hit the boy in the head, causing him to stumble backwards. Sophie caught a glimpse of it as it spiralled back towards the thrower. A boomerang. She didn't have to look to know who it belonged to as she quickly collected the rest of her illustrations and dumped them back into the tin box which lay on the ground, forgotten, and tore off after the first one, finding him by the drinking fountain, and the manuscript under running water.

"Stop that!" Sophie yelled, knocking the bully out of the way and grabbing the drenched manuscript before hurrying off, wondering if the other sophomore had gotten a concussion from Bunnymund's boomerang. Something he probably couldn't see. Sophie grinned at the thought.

As she turned into the art room, however, her enthusiasm faded as she flipped through Jamie's waterlogged manuscript. Some of the words were no longer legible, and some of the pages were threatening to disintegrate. Her illustrations were crumpled but she was grateful they didn't get in the way of water or some other medium that could destroy them. She wondered what the Guardians were doing in the school, though she was glad they were there. She hadn't seen them, however. She sat there, examining the drenched manuscript, not sure what to do. Jamie was definitely going to kill her.

"Sophie Bennett?"

Sophie looked up at the sound of her name and saw Emily. She caught sight of a picture of her in the girl's hand, before it was quickly stuffed into a folder. "What happened?"

"Ran into some of the seniors," Sophie replied, listlessly, as she tossed the manuscript onto a desk. Emily flipped through it carefully.

"Isn't this Jamie's?" she asked.

"Yes," Sophie replied. She then sat up. "Wait a second, Jamie told me you didn't remember who he was when he ran into you once. What happened?"

"You know, we can salvage this," Emily responded, obviously avoiding the question. "Tell me what you remember of the story and I'll write out the illegible parts. I have plenty of free time at the moment."

Sophie fixed Emily with a weird look, but decided to save the question for later.

#

"And that's what happened."

Jamie lay the rewritten manuscript on his desk and picked up the waterlogged one. "What do you think of Emily's?" Sophie asked.

Jamie pondered on that question for several moments. "Not much different from the original," he replied. "Though she added several lines and basically, her grammar is much better. But how did she remember me?"

Sophie shrugged. "No idea. She's weird."

Jamie's attention was redirected towards the window pane, where frost was swirling continuously. "Jack!" He hurried over and opened the window, allowing the winter spirit in.

"How did you like the little shocker I gave that boy this morning, Sophie?" asked Jack, grinning.

"Hmph. Could have been more impressive," the blonde responded, but she smiled slightly. "Just kidding. Thanks a lot. Say, did Bunny give that boy a concussion?"

Jack chuckled. "Not really, but it was close to one. That boy will be having headaches for days!"

"Isn't it illegal?" Jamie asked.

"Who cares?" Sophie answered. "They're just sick cowards!"

"Yeah, but they're still students," Jamie argued. "What if you got held responsible, even though you were definitely not the one who hurt them?"

"Aliens have taken over Jamie! This is not him!" Sophie exclaimed. "Jamie, come back! Aliens! Bring him back now!"

Sophie tackled her brother and the latter fell back onto the bed. Instantly leaping up, he tried to get Sophie, but she ducked and ran out of the way. Jamie sprang off the bed and hurried after her, trying to get her. Jack contributed by freezing the floor and creating ice passages through which they slid through, playing a game of tag in the small bedroom.

"Jamie! Sophie! What on earth are you doing?" came Mrs. Bennett's voice all of a sudden, accompanied by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. With one wave of his staff, the ice disappeared, leaving the bedroom in its original state just as Mrs. Bennett entered, only to find her kids lying on the floor, panting with delight.

"Was just having a game of tag, mom," Jamie said, in response to his mother's raised eyebrows.

"In the room."

"Yeah, in the room."

"Nice." She turned to exit before stopping in her tracks. "Oh, dinner's ready."

They didn't need to be told twice as they overtook their mother out of the room.

** Thanks a lot for reading! Exams are finally over! **

** Please review. **


	30. Chapter 30

Jamie stood at the entrance of the graveyard, looking up at the iron '_Memento Mori_' sign. To the west was the pond, a place where he and his friends hung out often and where Jack was made a Guardian. Though it was also where he had drowned, there were enough happy memories made there to cover the bad ones. But Jamie was not one to easily forget about the past.

He walked along a narrow route which separated the cemetery in half, gazing at the gravestones as he passed them. Some were so old they were falling apart and their inscriptions were already fading. He tried to make out the dates on each one, as they played a part in his search. He had to be back before dark, so it was best to speed up the process. Several minutes passed before Jamie finally arrived at the grave he had been looking for. He knelt and merely gazed at the fading inscription, which was, fortunately, still legible.

"Jack," Jamie whispered, to no one in particular.

Jamie had mulled over several facts of his story and had wondered if, since Jack had died at the pond, he would be buried at the cemetery near it. Curiosity had overwhelmed the brunette and he couldn't resist a trip to the graveyard. There was a whole lot of other things he was confused about, but didn't feel like asking Jack about them, as in a way, it would be like accusing the winter spirit of getting his facts and dates mixed up and anyway, the guardian wasn't around.

Jamie left a small bunch of flowers by the gravestone bearing Jack's name and the dates of his birth and death, which were no longer legible. Jamie felt a pang of annoyance. They would have been pretty useful.

The boy turned and hurried out of the cemetery, but not before noticing the other gravestones around Jack's. There were his parents' and of course, his sister. Once Jamie was out of the place, he hurried towards the park, and to the statue. And for the first time since he was born in Burgess, he actually read the words inscribed on the plaque.

"_THADDEUS BURGESS"_

_THIS RIVER TOWN WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1795, NAMED AFTER THADDEUS BURGESS, WHO BUILT THE FIRST LOG CABIN HERE WITH HIS FAMILY BEFORE THE BITTER WINTER OF 1795._

_PIONEERS AND FREIGHT WAGONS FOLLOWING POST ROADS TO THE SOUTHERN MINES CROSSED THE RIVER NEAR BY AT NANCY'S FERRY, AND AS A TERMINAL FOR RIVERBOATS, THE TOWN PLAYED AN IMPORTANT IN DEVELOPMENT OF WESTSIDE GRAIN FARMING AND CATTLE RAISING._

Jamie had never been the best in class for history, but at that moment, he was hungry for a little bit of history of his own town. They hardly learn anything about Burgess, as it didn't really have much of a history, save for what Jamie had just read. The brunette hurried off to the library, hoping it would have what he was looking for.

He scanned the shelves, pulling out relevant books, maps and old newspapers, though he couldn't find any from the 17th century, before settling down at a table to look through them. The books were of no use to him, they were merely stories and more irrelevant history about places around, and not Burgess. Jack had mentioned he lived around the 1600s. Was Burgess even here yet, back then?

Jamie decided to forget about the books and maps and resorted to the Internet. When the search engine came up onscreen, the 17- year old paused momentarily before typing in 'History of Burgess, Pennsylvania'.

"'Centennial history of the Pennsylvania Railroad'?" Jamie muttered. "That's not really helping.

The brunette gazed out across the pond, at a forest beyond. He had abandoned his search and decided to hang out on his own. The pond's waters sparkled in the sunlight and the summer breeze blew softly, playing with Jamie's hair. There was no one around, as it was summer and not many stayed in Burgess. His mother was also planning to bring them somewhere, but had not decided. Sophie was being visited by Bunny more than it was good for her and she had been hoping they would take a trip to Australia.

"Jamie Bennett?"

For a moment, Jamie stiffened, expecting Jack, before remembering that Jack didn't normally call him by his full name, 'Jamie Bennett'. He turned to see Cupcake standing behind him, her arms crossed. Jamie could make out a unicorn on her t-shirt.

"Cupcake? Fancy seeing you here. Aren't you away on vacation or something?"

The older girl sat down by the pond beside him and tossed bread crumbs at several ducks sailing by. "We decided not to go this summer. What about you? I saw a really cool car by your house earlier. Got a relative over?"

Jamie turned to her with a surprised expression. "No, none that I know of," he said, before turning back to the pond. "Hey, do you know anything about the history of Burgess?"

"Me? History? Since when did I ever take an interest in history?" Cupcake responded, lazily. "It's just stuff about dead people anyway. And my mom always said, don't harp on the past." She turned back to her childhood friend. "I heard you're writing a book."

Jamie let out a snort of laughter. "I'm getting used to that," he stated, smiling slightly. "Who has been telling all of you? Sophie, Emily or my mom?"

"Sophie," Cupcake said. "What is it about? Can I have a look?"

"The manuscript's not with me right now," Jamie replied. "But the story is one you're pretty familiar with. Remember seven years ago?"

"The guardians?"

"Yeah, them. I'm just rewriting the story with Jack's help."

"Sounds nice, but I'm hoping you won't claim it was based on a true story."

"Yeah, pretty illogical, don't you think? I think you're the only one who still believes, besides myself and Sophie. I even had to persuade Sophie to believe again, so she won't keep thinking I'm crazy."

Cupcake shook her head. "I don't know why they stopped believing, unless they have amnesia or something. Everything's still so vivid! And of course, I can't forget that nightmare Pitch gave me by... polluting the Dreamsand. It still haunts me till today."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Jamie spoke again. "If you can still remember everything, every detail vividly, mind going through the story? I'd prefer if everything was as what happened, without anything more or less."

"Sure. But it isn't with you now, is it?"

Jamie got to his feet. "Nope, but let's head back to my house."

#

Jamie recognised the car parked by his house only too well. Mrs. Warren had came over. Mrs. Bennett did mention that the lady was to pay them a visit during the summer, but she didn't say it was that day. And didn't Mrs. Warren mention she was on holiday in some exotic, foreign land?

"I see you're back, Jamie Bennett," said the lady as soon as he entered the living room with Cupcake. "And you've brought back a friend, too. How nice! Come darlings, have a seat." She patted the space on the couch beside her.

"She's inviting you to sit down in your own home?" Cupcake whispered as they walked towards the couch and cautiously sat down. Jamie glanced at his mother who was pouring out cups of tea. Their lives were quite stable and things were already returning to normal, though Jamie doubt everything can be perfectly normal again with his father gone.

"Where's Sophie?" Jamie asked, determined that his sister didn't escape the clutches of their aunt.

"She came down earlier," Mrs. Bennett replied, a small smile creeping onto her face. "Said she wasn't feeling well, so I sent her to bed."

"Sure she wasn't feeling well," Jamie said, nodding slightly, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Cupcake grinned. Jamie turned to his aunt and addressed her. It was best if he started the conversation first. "Um, so, I thought you were on holiday somewhere foreign and exotic?"

"Yes, I was in Italy. But I came back earlier than I should. It was too Italian over there." She clutched at her heart.

"What's wrong with Italian?" Jamie inquired, trying to steer clear of subjects that would completely change the mood, such as Estella.

"Oh well, Estella loved all things Italian."

Boom.

"Er... sure she did. Anyway, allow me to introduce my friend, Cupcake!" Jamie gestured at the older girl, who merely smiled and shook hands with the lady.

"Cupcake. What an odd name. Is it a nickname or your real name?"

While Mrs. Warren engaged herself in a deep conversation with Cupcake, Jamie helped himself to some of the cookies Mrs. Bennett had put out. "She will be staying with us for a few days," his mother told him, in a low voice.

"Is that something bad?" Jamie asked, though for him, it was very bad.

"Not at all!" Mrs. Bennett looked surprised. "It's good to have some relatives over once in a while, you know."

They sat in silence, as Mrs. Warren and Cupcake went on conversing. "So, where have you been?" Mrs. Bennett asked her son.

"Just the graveyard, the park and then the library, mom. And the pond. That's where I met Cupcake. Oh yeah, she wanted to read my manuscript."

"Later, Jamie," Mrs. Bennett said, glancing at Mrs. Warren's cheerful countenance, a result of conversing with Cupcake for the past five minutes. "What were you doing at the graveyard, anyway?"

"Visiting someone's grave?"

"Whose?"

"Jackson Overland."

"You mean, his grave is still here?"

"Of course. And so is his sister's."

Silence hung over them once more, before Cupcake finally ended her conversation with Mrs. Warren and turned to Jamie. "Jamie, the manuscript?"

"Manuscript?" Mrs. Warren asked, surprised. "Surely you do not learn music, Jamie!"

"Uh, not at all," replied Jamie, hurriedly, getting to his feet. "It's, uh, something else." He shot a pleading look at his mother.

"Just some weird summer school project, sister," Mrs. Bennett said.

Jamie and Cupcake hurried to his bedroom where he got out the tin cookie box and produced his manuscript. "The intro was rewritten by Emily, that new girl from school. You see, the thing got wet and..."

"No need to explain, I heard about the bullies and the mysterious happenings in our school," Cupcake said, smiling slightly as she flipped through the manuscript. "Of course, I knew instantly what really happened, but everyone else is still wondering about it."

"You're awesome," Jamie said, grinning, playfully punching the older girl on the arm. She didn't react, merely kept reading. "Please, never stop believing."

Cupcake didn't respond immediately, absorbed in the story. Jamie left her alone and looked out of his window, remembering the first time he had believed in Jack Frost. He smiled at the thought of the frost bunny. If Jack hadn't shown up on time, he probably wouldn't be where he was at that moment, and had lost all belief.

"Jamie Bennett."

Jamie turned. Cupcake was on her feet, manuscript in hand. She tossed it at him. "That. Send it out into the world now. Now!" She was frowning, almost like the Cupcake of old, when she was the older, mean girl. Then her face eased into a smile. "It's good. And it brought back a whole lot of memories."

"Well, sending it out into the world is something I've been trying to do," Jamie said, settling down on the window seat. "But I'm not sure. What if people don't like it? I know it's based on a true story and all, but not all true stories are great."

"Oh, you mean this isn't great?" Cupcake asked, pointing at the manuscript. "Well, you got one thing right. It isn't."

Jamie turned to her, surprised. "It isn't? Are you just being sarcastic or..."

"It's not great, it's epic!" Cupcake yelled, before clamping her hands over her mouth and glancing at the door. "Sorry for acting like a kid."

"We're all kids at heart," Jamie said, flopping down onto his bed and producing the copy of the yearbook Emily had handed to him. "I made a list of possible publishers and agents and stuff..."

Just then, the door creaked open and Sophie peered in. "Hey, Emily's been throwing stones at my window. I think she wants to see you, but she probably forgot which window was yours." She seemed to notice the girl. "Oh, hi Cupcake."

Jamie hurried to the window and looked out. Sure enough, Emily stood at his doorstep, looking up at the windows. "Does she think she's Romeo or something, chucking stones at people's windows?" Cupcake said. "And why is she here?"

"Well, she knows something about this whole publishing thing, so we're getting help from her," Jamie responded. He pushed open his window and Emily turned, noticing him.

"OI! Come on up!" he yelled down, completely oblivious to the fact that his aunt was in the house.

**So sorry about the other chapter! It was just a little confusion. Thanks for pointing it out, SkyHighFan, and thanks, everyone else, for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following! *hugs* ****Anyway, the sign in Burgess... I'm not very sure about the dates, as they weren't clear, so I'm just taking a guess (1795). **

** Please review. I seriously hope this chapter was not a letdown.**


	31. Chapter 31

The teacher droned on and on, oblivious to the fact that half of the class was asleep. Jamie stared out the window, a rather crestfallen look written on his face. He didn't even hear the final bell of the day ring, and it was only after Caleb hollered in his ear did the boy return to planet earth.

"What's up with you? You look as though you just lost a dollar and found ten cents!" said Claude.

"Nothing's up," Jamie replied, his voice lacking the usual enthusiasm as he packed his stuff and prepared to leave the classroom.

"Oh, sure, nothing's up. Which is why you're looking like the saddest person in this world," Caleb said, before reaching forwards and grabbing Jamie's arm. "Come on, dude! Cheer up! It's almost Halloween and... well, I guess you don't really get all enthusiastic over Halloween, but still..."

"Caleb. Just leave him alone."

Jamie turned momentarily and shot Pippa a grateful look before catching up with Sophie. In silence, they hurried to the bus stop where they bumped into Emily. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it immediately upon seeing their faces. Jamie and Sophie boarded the bus quietly, but upon reaching their home, Emily got off, too.

"What do you want?" Sophie asked, a little too harshly.

Emily shrugged. "Just to tell you not to be too chagrined. Seriously, both of you seem at the depths of despair!"

"Let's see if you wouldn't be if you got rejected just like that!" Sophie snapped, as the siblings walked up to their gate. Jamie eyed the front yard and his heart sank to the bottom of sneakers and stayed there. Fall had brought with it the annual shedding of leaves, which meant there was raking to be done. And as usual, every year, that dratted cat from next door would just ruin all his efforts.

Emily laughed out loud, much to the Bennetts' surprise and annoyance. "It's like, your first rejection," she said. "Some authors and illustrators have been rejected more than ten times. If every author or illustrator is like the two of you, there wouldn't be books and publishers in this world!"

Sophie glared at her. "Thanks, I feel so much better now," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Are you suggesting we try someone different?" Jamie asked.

"I'm suggesting an agent. Or self-publishing. It all depends on you. I must be going," Emily responded, before hurrying off. The siblings watched her run down the road and turned down another, disappearing from their sight before they entered the house.

Mrs. Bennett had returned early from work that day and was seated in the living room, reading. She looked up when they came in. "Sophie, the costume shop doesn't have that bunny costume you were looking for. Well, they have one, but nothing that fits your description. And Jamie, are you still trick-or-treating?"

Jamie shrugged. "It's fun. And how is it wrong to be a child at heart?"

"I didn't say it was wrong," Mrs. Bennett replied, putting down her book. "I just would appreciate it if you didn't fantasise so much. Still, are you sure about that costume of yours? It sounds too simple."

Jamie grinned. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure about it."

"And the lawn needs raking."

"Is it really necessary?" Jamie asked, putting on a desperate look. He glanced out of the window , and made his mother look at the leaves strewn across the lawn. "It actually looks so pretty, so postcard-worthy!"

Sophie burst into laughter, but hurriedly covered it with a fake cough, as she made her way up the stairs. Mrs. Bennett was firm. "On the contrary, it is such an unpleasant sight. You will rake it." Her tone was final.

"Can't Sophie do it?"

"She can help you out." Mrs. Bennett pulled on her coat. "I'm going out. Dinner's on the table."

After a dinner of pasta leftovers from the previous night, Jamie began raking, his mind reeling as he thought about his first rejection. He had been forewarned, but it was still disappointing. He recalled something he had read somewhere; about an author's book being like their first-born, and to send their child out to be judged, criticised, and rejected; it would hurt. Though, Sophie thought it was ridiculous.

A gust of wind blew, blowing away the raked leaves and scattering them on the lawn once more. Jamie turned and glared at Jack. "Are you just trying to get me into trouble?" he said, bitterly.

Jack's eyebrows arched questioningly. "What's gotten into you today? You seem pretty down in the dumps." He moved closer to Jamie, scanning the boy's face, but the latter turned away before throwing the rake onto the ground.

"Think you can just blow all these leaves into a pile?"

"Sure. Move aside, or you'll get swept up as well." Jack grinned at Jamie, but the boy couldn't even crack a smile.

"I don't mean a big wind, I mean..."

"I know. I was just trying to... never mind."

Once all the leaves had been collected into a pile, Jamie slumped down on the lawn beneath a tree, leaning against its trunk. Jack flopped down beside him, causing the boy to pull his coat tighter around him. "What happened?" Jack asked, concerned.

"I got rejected. I mean, we got rejected." Jamie gestured at himself and at the house, indicating Sophie.

Jack laughed out loud, earning himself a glare from Jamie. "You think it's funny?"

"No, but it's just one rejection." The winter spirit held up one finger. "Just one. And you're going into depression? Missing out on all the fun? Next thing you're going to tell me is that you're going trick-or-treating on Halloween? I mean, I'm not the spirit of Samhain or whatever, but..."

"One says it all," Jamie cut in, hugging his knees and staring at the neatly-raked pile. "Let's just say I want to forget all about it."

Silence hung over them for a few moments before Jack spoke. "I guess... it's just a matter of belief. Like you believe in me. In the other Guardians. And you strived to make Sophie believe again after she stopped. I suppose if you believe in your tale, someone else will, too, sooner or later."

Jamie didn't respond immediately. Jack flew off and returned a few minutes later, handing a list to Jamie. "Took me a while to get into your room, but I think you should view this and... try again." He smiled encouragingly. Jamie surveyed the list and crossed out a name at the top.

"And what if another rejection comes?"

"Then cross out that one and proceed to the next."

"And what if I get through all and still... nothing?"

"Then make a new list. This is just a distilled version, isn't it?"

Jamie couldn't help but grin. "You have experience in this field, Jack?"

Jack shrugged. "Guess I'm just naturally brilliant."

Jamie stuck out his tongue playfully at the guardian of fun before hurrying indoors, calling out to Sophie.

** I'm so sorry for this very-late-yet-still-very-short update. I have an exam next month but school has been very kind (surprisingly), but I haven't. Once again, I apologise.**


	32. Chapter 32

The eve of Samhain came too slow for some of the kids of Burgess. The streets were illuminated by the light emanating from carved Jack-o-lanterns which had been lit and placed outside most of the houses.

Jamie grinned as he surveyed his handiwork. Jack's features had been etched onto the pumpkin's surface, but of course, it looked more like a horribly disfigured boy. Sophie grimaced at the sight of it and carried on carving hers, which, so far, seemed to resemble a bunny.

"What do you think?" Jamie asked, addressing his sister and the winter spirit, who was just hanging around the Bennetts. "My Jack-o-lantern is truly a JACK-o-lantern!"

"Jack Frost? Oh, is that what it's supposed to be?" Sophie asked, turning for a moment from her pumpkin. "I thought you were trying to carve the face of that boy after the bear mauled him from that horror movie we watched at Claude's place yesterday!"

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "I'm no avant-garde, Jamie, so I can't say much. Though, I have to admit, it doesn't really look like an awful lot like me."

Sophie snorted with laughter as Jamie shrugged, retaining his grin. "Oh well, it's not like I actually have much talent in carving. Unlike some people..." Jamie stared at Sophie out of the corner of his eye. "But then again, what can you do with a talent in carving?"

"Very harsh, Jamie!" Sophie snapped, plunging the knife deeper than it should go into her pumpkin, and giving the bunny a scar. Her eyebrows furrowed into a frown and stayed there.

Jamie rolled his eyes as he got to his feet and picked up his disfigured lantern. "Hey, I was just joking!" When no reply came from a fuming Sophie, he turned and walked back to the house, muttering under his breath, "Girls..."

Jack flew after him. Mrs. Bennett lit the lantern as Jamie hurried upstairs to wash and change into his costume. He had refused to go trick-or-treating at first, claiming it was for kids, but his friends had successfully persuaded him. "For kids? What happened to the guy who believed in Jack Frost and the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus and goodness-knows-what-else?"

"Hey, Jack, do you think I can borrow your staff?" Jamie asked, as he came out of the bathroom and proceeded to pull on the hoodie. "You'll be there, right? There's no harm in relinquishing it to a boy within a seven-metre radius for about a night?"

"I don't know, Jamie," the winter spirit responded. "I mean, it's not just an ordinary stick, and what if it goes out of your control or something? Or what if something else happens, something worse?"

"Well, like I said, you'll be within a seven-metre radius of me, right? Or even less. Though it's okay. I'll go with a makeshift one." Jamie gestured towards a real shepherd's crook propped up against the wall. Jack gazed at him questioningly.

"Where did you get that?"

Jamie grinned. "The gardener next door. I noticed it leaning against his shed, and asked if I could borrow it. And guess what? He said I could just have it!"

Jamie gazed at his reflection in the mirror and pulled on the white wig. "You know, I've never really dressed up like this for Halloween before. Usually it would be just some random costume thrown together in like, ten minutes, and last year, Claude and Caleb weren't in town so we were exempted from trick-or-treating. They're going to be so stunned when I turn up like this, though, they won't be surprised when they learn its Jack Frost!"

Jack leaned his staff against the wall and walked over to Jamie, hands in his pockets. "Careful, Jack, I might just take the wrong one when I leave," Jamie said, referring to Jack's staff. The winter spirit shrugged. "It's within a seven-metre radius, but you're right. He took it from its current place and held on to it.

"Jamie! Monty is here! You too, Sophie!" came Mrs. Bennett's voice. Jamie called down back before snagging the shepherd's crook leaning against the wall, and hurrying downstairs. He bumped into a bunny on the way, who rolled her eyes. "Happy Easter!" he called out to it, playfully.

Sophie marched out the front door.

"Well, well, well, don't you look like that boy in those paintings of Sophie!" Mrs. Bennett commented, as Jamie came down the stairs. As she took in her son's appearance, her eyes glazed over. "And not just in appearance and dressing," she muttered, almost to herself. "Was Sophie, by any chance, portraying that boy whose portrait is hung in Mrs. Warren's place as a winter spirit with a shepherd's crook?"

"Well, kind of," Jamie replied, smiling slightly.

"You have the same eyes."

"Well, he is a relation, right?" said the 17- year old. "So long, mom! Happy Halloween!" Jamie bounded out of the house and piled into the back of Monty's car. The latter was in a scientist's costume and looked at him through round, black-framed glasses.

"Monty, you do know that not all scientists stereotypically wear thick black-framed glasses," Sophie commented.

"Of course. I just looked to that mad scientist from yesterday's horror movie."

Upon alighting at the twins' house, Jamie turned to Jack, who hovered beside him. For a moment, they just stared at each other, taking in features.

"Yeah, yeah, so you resemble each other a tad bit, big deal!" Sophie said, as she hurried past them. "Please don't look at each other like you're lovers!"

"What on earth...?" Monty turned at Sophie's outburst as Jack and Jamie turned away from each other. "Who were you yelling at, Sophie? Jamie wasn't staring at anyone in the face, was he?"

"Nerds and brothers," Sophie muttered, as Jamie gave a shout of laughter.

Claude and Caleb never miss an opportunity to throw a party, and Halloween was one of their favourite holidays. The best thing about it was that their parents celebrated it as well, and didn't discourage them from trick-or-treating or snacking on candies on that particular day. The house was heavily-decorated with glowing jack-o-lanterns and lights, and everyone present was dressed in a costume.

"Did Caleb invite the whole neighbourhood?" Sophie remarked, surveying the crowd of guests.

"Nope. Claude did," Monty responded.

Not a big fan of parties, Jamie decided to retreat to a corner and go through his rejected manuscript, which he had stowed in the hoodie. There were many guests, so chances were Claude and Caleb wouldn't find him or would've forgotten about him. Though it seemed rather unlikely, Jamie didn't want to waste precious moments standing around, being jostled by people.

"I know him! He's Jamie Bennett!"

Jamie looked up at the sound of his name to see a group of young boys, the eldest looking no older than ten, pointing at him and whispering among themselves.

"What are you trying to do?" Jamie asked, addressing the kids.

"Attempting to guess the person with their costume on!" replied one of them, grinning widely. "Yours was pretty easy! Is it even a costume?"

Jamie rolled his eyes and returned to his work. The kids hurried off in the direction of the backyard. Jamie saw, out of the corner of his eye, them trying to figure out who the tall man in a cloak was and not being able to.

"Nice costume, mister!" they finally just called out to him.

The man turned to them and all of a sudden, their faces were contorted with fear, and they turned and ran off, as fast as their legs could carry them. Jamie wondered why, and looked up once more. At the same time, the man seemed to sense someone was watching him, and fixed an intense glare upon the boy.

** This was supposed to be longer and I guess, better? I'm having an important exam soon, so updates will be slower. I'm sorry.**


	33. Chapter 33

**If you are a person who loves action and expects some every time the bad guy appears, you should just skip this chapter.**

Pitch watched from the shadows, the kids all dressed-up in costumes and looking merry, carrying fancy bags for trick-or-treating, almost like it was Easter. Pitch found it extremely annoying; it was Halloween, it was supposed to be an endless night of ghost stories and scary tales, not merry-making and sweet-hunting!

The world misunderstood fear and the darkness. Pitch didn't create darkness, it had existed on its own. Shadows were formed if there was an obstruction of light. And fear... well, people couldn't live without fears, could they? Then the world would just be a paradise. There were times when fear was spread to teach as well, just like a parent instructing their kids not to go out late at night or the Boogeyman will find them, but it was just mainly for their own good.

Pitch had been misunderstood and it truly got on his nerves. The worst of it all was when the Man in the Moon sent forth the Guardians, to fill the world with dreams, hope and wonder. Childhood was meant to be filled with sweet memories and nothing more. It angered him even more to know that the Guardians think themselves so incredibly important. He was shunned into the shadows, into hiding, with only the Nightmares accompanying him. That was only recently. He had spent quite an eternity trying to perfect the method of turning dreams into nightmares. And when he succeeded, the Guardians were there to bring him down. And no one believed in the Boogeyman anymore.

Well, not exactly no one. There were still continents where the Guardians' influence had not spread to. And the children, of course, the ones who helped the Guardians defeat him about seven years back. They stopped believing in him that day, but as they grew older, and thought about the battle, they couldn't help remembering him and believing he was real. Without his presence, there would've been no battle. Not all of them again, though. Some of them had completely forgotten or dismissed it all as an epic dream save for that infuriating pest of a boy, Jamie Bennett, and a friend of his, Cupcake.

He still enjoyed changing dreams into nightmares in secret, though. Not every child truly deserved the nights of peaceful slumber they get all the time.

From the shadows, Pitch noticed a familiar face in a crowd of people gathered in a house, which was swarming with costumed people. It was one of the kids who had helped the Guardians defeat him seven years back. What was his name? Caleb?

He crept towards the house and glared at all the merriment, staying in the shadows. His gaze sweeped over the guests who remained completely oblivious to his presence, even as he edged closer to the light, and it landed on a certain boy, sitting in a corner, poring over something. For a moment Pitch's heart (if he even had one) skipped a beat, thinking it was Jack Frost, but upon closer scrutiny, he realised it wasn't. However, it wasn't someone he didn't know.

Pitch blended in amongst the guests, though it really wasn't necessary as hardly anyone could see him, save for several kids running around. A couple of them noticed and complimented him, earning themselves a glare, which scared them away almost immediately.

The boy seemed to notice his presence, for he looked up. Pitch turned and half-sneered, half-glared at him. Jamie's expression was one of shock, horror, and something else Pitch couldn't quite discern. He leaped to his feet.

"What are you doing here?" Jamie half-yelled, attracting the attention of passing guests, who looked at him curiously.

"Are you quite alright, boy?" asked a lady, gazing at him with concern. "Maybe you should go in..."

"I'm fine," Jamie replied, trying to act nonchalant, as his eyes kept flicking over to where the Boogeyman stood, turning, about to head off. "Just, er, trying to..." The lady raised an eyebrow. "Trying to get into character!" he finally blurted out. "You see, I'm part of the school's drama club and uh..."

The lady broke into a smile. "How dedicated! Now, I must be going..." She hurried off.

Jamie turned back to the spirit. "What are you doing here?" he asked, in a low voice, scowling. "Didn't we defeat you years ago?"

Pitch sneered at the boy. "I am a spirit. I can live forever."

"Yeah, but not here," Jamie spat, remembering to keep his voice low. "And people don't believe in the Boogeyman anymore. You're supposed to disappear or something." He surveyed his surroundings. "Jack is somewhere. So you'd better clear off. Go back to the shadows where you belong."

"Grew up, didn't you? You're not so afraid anymore, I see. And defiant... I never realised, even though I've been watching you all these years. Things always seem different from the shadows." Pitch tried to sound confident, but the furtive glances he cast quickly around at the mention of Jack's name gave him away.

As Pitch's form traveled across the lawn to a darker corner, Jamie noticed that he seemed different. In appearance. He was almost like a shadow, almost translucent. Jamie gathered up his things and walked over to the side of the lawn. "I was never afraid," he responded. "And I know you're weak. I can see it."

"I see you've grown to be pretty brilliant as well, but not so brilliant." He whirled around and faced the boy. "Do you know how it feels like to live in the shadows, in the darkness, and be ignored by everyone?"

"Of course I do, you kept and still keep talking about it, but I don't care. You're not welcomed here." After a pause, he added, "Even if it is Halloween."

"Ah, the eve of Samhain, when every child is fearful, expecting apparitions to pop up," Pitch half-sighed. "You have no idea how exhilarating it is. So just let me have my share of fun."

With that, he vanished. Taken aback, Jamie stood there for several moments, unsure where the spirit had gone and unsure what to do. The next second, he was racing through the horde of guests, searching frantically for Jack. Where had the winter spirit gone to? He turned to a group of passing kids and stopped them.

"Have you seen a teenager about my height and built, dressed exactly like me?" Jamie asked.

The kids shrugged. "Nope, but good luck hunting him down!" They ran off, and Jamie left in the opposite direction.

"Jamie, what happened?"

The 17- year old whirled around to see his sister, looking at him with that infuriating curious look. "Pitch is here." He got to the point. "Have you seen Jack?"

Sophie shook her head no, before laughing. "What a coward you are. It's just a dumb spirit. You can't even handle him. I'm starting to wonder if you were even involved in the battle years ago."

"Very funny, Sophie, but I..."

"It's Halloween. Let him be."

Jamie stared at his sister. "Has he possessed you?" He grabbed Sophie by the shoulders and shook her slightly. "Wake up, Sophie!"

"Geez, relax!" Sophie snapped, pushing her brother away. "I think you're the one who's possessed. For all you know it was probably your overactive imagination making you think you saw Pitch Black. Anyway, like I said, it's Halloween. Let him be. Everyone is keeping their 'ghost' guard up tonight, whether some spooky dark spirit who can turn dreams into nightmares is around or not."

Jamie was not convinced. "I don't think so, Sophie. What if he manages to gain power again? What if he threatens us all again? A few kids could see him!"

"Big deal. Come on, stop worrying about it. What with costumed people and ghost stories at midnight, everyone will be having nightmares tonight, whether Pitch Black wants them to or not. Can you please stop worrying about it for a minute?"

Jamie reluctantly followed his sister, keeping a watch out for both Pitch and Jack. He saw neither. Throughout the party, however, there were several unearthly disturbances to which there could only be one explanation. It then struck Jamie how low Pitch had sunk, having to resort to invoking fear in people through ghost stories.

"Sandman will be out of business tonight, that's for sure," Sophie said, with a wink, as the party drew to a close, at around after midnight. They were finally joined by the winter spirit.

"Where have you been?" Jamie asked, instantly.

"With the kids, of course," Jack responded, his eyes twinkling. "You can't expect to just sit with you and watch as you pore over your work, can you? It's no fun to just sit around."

"Did you feel a strange presence tonight?" Jamie inquired.

Jack's expression changed. "Pitch. He's here. You knew?"

"I saw him."

"He's terribly weak. I guess he's pretty harmless right now. Anyway, it is Halloween."

"It was Halloween," Sophie corrected, as they searched for Caleb and Claude to bid them good night and to thank them. "It's past midnight."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "You have absolutely no imagination," he said, annoyed. He turned back to Jack, though making it not seem so obvious. "So, what about Pitch, Jack?"

Jack smirked. "I'll inform Sandy. He'll make sure Pitch doesn't get back up. The other Guardians will be notified as well, so don't you worry, Jamie. We defeated him once. We can defeat him again."

"You talk as though there's going to be a furious battle," Sophie spoke, but Jamie chose to ignore her.

"Well, he did seem pretty weak. Perhaps..."

They spotted the twins at that moment and hurried over. After a bunch of 'thank you's and 'good night's, the siblings left with Monty, the way they came.

Jamie glanced out the window at the buildings they passed, most shrouded in darkness, while others such as shops had lit signboards. His thoughts wandered, going over the events of the evening. He hadn't thought he would see the Boogeyman again. And if he did, he would expect some sort of ferocious battle to ensue. However, he was quite certain Sandy would be pretty 'out of business', as Sophie put it, that night, as his mind wandered to the ghost stories he had heard earlier.

But then again, what was a world without fear and darkness?

"Hey, Soph," he called, quietly.

"What is it?" Sophie asked, stifling a yawn.

"If opposites attract in real life as well as they do in science, why is it, do you think, that good and evil are always at each other's necks?"

There was a short silence as Sophie ruminated. "Well, I guess they keep each other intact," she finally said. "You know, like balance each other out?" She yawned again. "Wake me up when we reach home." She prepared to drift off.

"We are home," Jamie said, as the car pulled to a halt outside their house.

** I'm not good at writing action, trust me. So, forgive me. :-P **


	34. Chapter 34

_ The two warriors faced each other, ready for a face-off. The one clad in blue armour moved forwards, swinging a shining katana, attacking the other warrior, who was dressed in cheap red armour with missing sleeves, who didn't budge even as the weapon clanged against his armour. After the second attack only did he started moving, blocking the katana with a scimitar he wielded, the sound of metal against metal resonating. _

_ The red knight attempted to slash the blue knight with the scimitar, only to have it parried by the katana, which slashed his arm, and sent the weapon out of his hand. Another swing and the red knight's helmet was off. Just as the red knight was about to attempt to defend itself before lunging for his weapon, the blue knight brought the katana down with a deadly blow upon the red knight's exposed head. _

_ #_

GAME OVER.

"No!" Jamie exclaimed, half-whining and half-laughing, as the words flashed across the screen, followed by a series of numbers; his score. "That was so close!"

Monty punched the air with his fist. "Yeah! You can't beat my score, Jamie! Even if you've been trying for like, 27 times?"

"29," Sophie said, from the floor, where she was busy sketching.

Jamie shot them both a dirty look. "Well, that's because I haven't gotten enough points to purchase good armour and boosts, okay? Monty's knight got this super cool power-up that enables him to regenerate every time his health decreases..."

Before Jamie could finish, his mother's voice could be heard calling for them up the stairs. "Jamie! Sophie! There's something for you!"

The Bennett siblings exchanged looks before they thundered down the stairs, leaving Monty, who ran after them, and stopped short upon seeing the pile of letters on the table, along with a parcel. Mrs. Bennett was going through her letters, grimacing at a couple of bills and admiring postcards from Mrs. Warren, as she always did whenever there was mail. However, it was rare Jamie ever received mail, what with modern technology.

"It's addressed to you," Mrs. Bennett said, noticing her son's presence at that moment. She then gave him a curious look. "Jamie, what have you been up to?"

Jamie put on an innocent look. "What do you mean, mom?" He picked up the parcel and could almost feel what was inside. His heart thumped with excitement and exhilaration. "Now, I seriously have to go." With that, he scuttled up the stairs and dashed across the landing to his bedroom, where he dropped the parcel onto his bed. Sophie and Monty entered at that moment.

"What is it?" she asked.

With trembling fingers, Jamie unwrapped the parcel. As its contents were revealed, he whooped and let out an euphoric "I did it!" while dancing around his room like he was in the seventh heaven of delight, which could probably be the case.

"What is it?" Monty echoed Sophie, peering over the latter's shoulder as she abandoned her sketchbook and picked up the item that had been bound in the parcel. A book bound with a hard cover, an illustration of hers gracing front. The 14- year old felt a sense of exhilaration. She held it like it was a dangerously fragile object and flicked through it. She seemed almost close to tears, but in a good way. She began to pore over it, completely ignoring the fact that both Jamie and Monty wanted to have a look at it as well.

"Wow, it's out? You mean, you weren't trying to fool us when you tried to promote _your_ book to us earlier this year?" exclaimed Monty. "Let me see it!"

Jamie was about to tug it out of his sister's grip when he was distracted by the sound of crunching gravel. He crossed over to the window and looked out, noticing instantly a black car pulling to a halt outside the house.

Who's that?" he said, aloud.

"Hm?" responded Sophie, not really listening.

Jamie turned back to look out, Monty hurrying over and joining him, and witnessed a burly man step out of the black car, and entered through the front gate. He headed for the front door and soon disappeared from view. Jamie waited, expecting the doorbell to ring, but it didn't. He turned to Sophie once more. "Hey, Soph, I think there's someone here," he said.

"Probably one of mom's friends," Sophie replied. "She's been having them over a lot recently."

"Really?" Jamie was surprised. Of late, ever since he turned 18, he had not been spending much time at home, but rather, with his friends. Mrs. Bennett didn't seem to mind, as long as he came home before midnight. But Jamie knew she didn't care about that, either, since he had deliberately returned home at one in the morning one day, and she was fast asleep. She didn't even question him the next morning. She probably didn't feel the need to worry much about him anymore, as he had 'come of age', as some would say.

Jamie dismissed the thought of eavesdropping and turned his attention back to the book. He longed for Jack at that moment, but he hadn't seen the winter spirit for about a week, mainly because he was rarely home and there had been reports of blizzards in other countries. He wrestled Sophie for the book, winning, and began flipping through it, reading a few lines every few pages, noticing that not much had been edited. A sense of pride welled up in him, as he danced around the room, out of the reach of Sophie and Monty's grabby hands.

There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs and a moment later, Mrs. Bennett peered in, stunned by the sight of the three kids wrestling each other for what seemed to be a book. They fell apart as they saw her, brushing themselves off. Jamie held on to the book.

"Oh, hi, mom," Sophie spoke. "Glad to see you remembered we existed."

Mrs. Bennett ignored her daughter and turned to the two 19- year olds. "What's going on?" she asked. "I heard a lot of shouts and screams and stomping..."

"Oh, that was dancing," Sophie intervened. "You see, the only dance Jamie knows is an elephant's waltz, which involves a lot of stomping..."

Once again, Sophie was ignored. Jamie explained to his mother what had happened. While he explained, there was a call up the stairs for their mother, from a male voice. Jamie stopped short in his explanation, surprised, while Mrs. Bennett turned and called back. She turned back to the kids, with a small smile.

"Whatever it is, I'll hear it out later," she said to Jamie. "But can you please take your stomping somewhere else or stop it entirely?" With that, she turned and left, shutting the door behind her.

The three of them exchanged looks. The only one who didn't seem surprised was Sophie. Jamie dropped the book onto his bed, leaving it to be picked up by Sophie, as he ran out onto the landing, quietly, to the top of the stairs, where he could catch snatches of a conversation between his mother and that male the voice had belonged to. He couldn't discern the words exchanged. He didn't want to risk going down the stairs, should one of them come by and see him there. His mother didn't quite approve of eavesdroppers and he didn't look forward to being grounded when he had been enjoying his freedom so much lately.

"... and Jamie..."

Jamie's ears pricked up at the sound of his name. He went down one step, straining to listen. He could hear his mother's voice, speaking in an undertone.

"... good boy... get to know him... fantasises a lot, however..."

Jamie's brows furrowed. Was his mother discussing him with someone? If so, who? That burly guy? Who was he?

"I think he's having too much freedom," the male voice spoke, the owner clearly not bothering to keep it low. "I've not met him once. And when I hear he's home, I hear a commotion going on above. Is he upstairs right now?"

"Yes, but, he was just fooling around with a friend of his," Mrs. Bennett said.

"I'll talk to him," the male voice responded, and Jamie's heart quickened as he heard footsteps nearing the bottom stair. He scrambled to his feet, and dashed for his room door, opening it as quietly as possible and entering. Sophie and Monty looked up, surprised. Jamie flopped down on his bed, trying to act normal, but Sophie and Monty were giving him those strange looks. Footsteps could be heard again on the stairs, heavier this time, and several moments later, they heard the door of Sophie's bedroom being opened, and then closed, before there was a knock on Jamie's bedroom door.

**Exams are finally over! **


	35. Chapter 35

All three of them jumped at the sound, exchanging glances. "He's looking for me," Jamie mouthed.

Another knock, this time a little impatient. Whoever it was didn't call out or say anything, however.

"Scaredy-cat," Sophie mouthed back, before returning to the book.

Jamie rolled his eyes and strode towards the door, opening it just as there was another knock. Outside stood the burly man he had seen earlier, only he seemed much burlier as he stood before the 19- year old.

"Jamie Bennett?" he asked.

Jamie nodded in response. "And you are?"

The man waved the question away like it was no more than a pesky mosquito. "It doesn't matter. Right now, I want to talk to you." He eyed the other two in the room. "Alone."

Jamie turned to his sister and friend. "Um, maybe you can go back to your room, Sophie," Jamie said. "You can go along, too, Monty. We'll continue playing later."

The two of them exited, as the man entered. He sat himself down on the bed and beckoned for Jamie to do the same. As the boy was taking his seat, the man's startling green eyes fell on the book which Sophie had surprisingly left behind. Their names were so clearly displayed. Jamie could see it sparked the man's interest as he picked it up and scrutinized the front cover.

"Rise of the Guardians," he read out. "And what is that supposed to mean?" Without waiting for a response, he turned to the back of the book and went through the synopsis. When he seemed to have finished, he eyed Jamie curiously. "Was this written by you, boy?"

Jamie nodded. "And it was illustrated by Sophie, my sister," he replied, wondering why this man was treating him like a criminal he was about to question.

"Interesting..." he murmured, as he flipped through the book. "And I suppose, the whole storyline, came from your imaginations, as did the characters?"

Of course not. It all happened about nine years ago in Burgess itself. Jamie wished he could say that, but the man didn't seem to be one who had a sense of humor to laugh it off as just a silly dream neither did he seem the type to believe in fairy tales.

"Yes."

"And you think it is something good?"

Jamie looked surprised. "What do you mean? What's good?"

"Do you think that it's wise for boys your age to fantasise like this?" he asked, his voice all of a sudden taking on a firm tone. "To dream of spirits and characters of old legends? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"The imagination has its own importance," Jamie half-snapped, indignant that this total stranger should just waltz into his room, demand to have a word with him and then insult him. "And you haven't told me who you are. I don't think I want to discuss too much with someone I don't know." That last part came out rather rude, and Jamie wished he could take it back, but the man didn't seem in the least bit bothered.

The man tossed the book back onto the bed and got to his feet. "I've seen enough," he muttered, almost to himself, before turning back to Jamie. "Well, good day." With that, he left the room and shut the door. Heavy footsteps resounded on the stairs once more. Before Jamie could wonder about that queer man, the door creaked open and Sophie and Monty reappeared. Sophie ran up to Jamie and shocked him with a sudden hug.

"What did he say to you?" she asked, releasing him.

"What's up with you?" Jamie asked. "And who was that? Do you know him?"

Sophie had a strange look on her face. Monty crept across the room and began playing another round, occupying himself with the goal of achieving a score that Jamie could never beat even given a week, as he could more or less tell that he wouldn't be welcomed in that current ongoing conversation, as it concerned the family of Bennetts, and had absolutely nothing to do with the latter's friends and acquaintances.

"What did he say to you?" Sophie repeated.

Jamie shrugged. "Asked me if it was wise for boys my age to fantasise and dream up things like this." He held up the book. "And he wouldn't tell me his name." Jamie looked annoyed. "Great, isn't it? We receive a copy of our own book, we're supposed to be completely, utterly thrilled, and then this killjoy came along. How wonderful."

Sophie didn't reply. She gazed out the window absent-mindedly, over Jamie's shoulder. He glanced behind. There was no one at the window. He turned back and waved his hand in his sister's face. "Earth to Sophie. What's up?"

Sophie seemed to snap out of her reverie and return to the present. "Jamie, dad's history."

"What?"

"Dad's history. He left mom."

Jamie scowled slightly. He didn't like it when the subject of his parents' divorce was brought up. And he didn't appreciate anyone talking about his father leaving them either. "Yeah, so what?" he half-snapped. "What's up with you, Sophie?"

"If I tell you something, can you please not tell anyone? And please promise me you won't go stomping down the stairs and yelling at mom and threatening to kill that guy?" Sophie implored.

Monty cleared his throat audibly. "Hey, I think I really have to go now. I'll see you on Tuesday," he said, getting to his feet and turning the game off. Jamie nodded in response. "Right. Tuesday. See you then. I'll see you to the front door."

"No, no, that won't be necessary. I've been here like a zillion times, Jamie, so don't worry about it."

Sophie felt a surge of gratitude towards the bespectacled boy. As soon as Monty was out of the room, Jamie turned his attention back to her. "Of course not. What do you think I am, crazy? Spit it out already!"

"Mom and that guy... they're getting married. Like, next week or something."

#

Jack froze the last water pipe and flew up to the telegraph wires where he began to walk along, frost swirling over the plastic coating. The sky was already dark and he was looking out for trails of Dreamsand. His thoughts wandered over to the Bennett siblings as he flew up to a roof. He was in the eastern part of the earth at that moment, so back in Burgess, it was probably morning or nearing noon. It had been about a week since the winter spirit had last seen Jamie, as the boy was rarely home, and Jack couldn't spend all his time searching for him.

The spirit's mind then wandered over to the conversation he had had with North a few days back. The other spirit had advised him to let go. To let go of Jamie. He was too attached. And it wasn't good for a spirit to get too attached to a certain child. Besides, Jamie wasn't a child anymore. Jack found it impossible to let go; after all, Jamie was his first believer. The other Guardians' first believers were all probably gone by now. Jack shuddered at the thought that one day Jamie, too, will fade from the world. Though he was a spirit, Jack doubted he would see the boy again after the latter's death. But at the moment, he didn't want to think about it.

Jamie was almost a grown-up. He spent more time away from home than he had ever done in his life. Jack knew he wouldn't possibly stop believing after all those years, but he was getting too matured for his liking. The winter spirit chided himself for being so selfish, as he watched trails of Dreamsand snaking their way across the sky and through windows of bedrooms where kids slept peacefully. "Right on time, Sandman," he murmured.

And Bunnymund. He still paid Sophie visits, though not as frequent as the ones Jack paid Jamie, and every Easter, he would save one special egg for her. He gave her painting lessons a couple of years back. But Bunnymund was one of those lucky spirits who only had to work one night a year. The months spent in the Warren painting eggs didn't count. Plus, those eggs paint themselves, don't they?

Jack soared to a higher roof and basked in the winter wind for a few moments. He wondered if he should return to Burgess. It was Saturday, and there was a high possibility Jamie was out with his friends again. But he could also be home...

Jack pushed away all thoughts and allowed the wind to carry him back to Burgess. This was a much cooler, literally and not, way to travel, compared to the Easter Kangaroo's tunnels, thought the winter spirit, with a mischievous smile. The slight warmth of the sun greeted him as he arrived and he landed on the roof of the Bennetts' house.

Jack peeked into the window. Jamie had his back to him, but the boy was there. Sophie sat opposite him, and the expression on her face told Jack something was up. He was about to tap on the window when Sophie happened to look up and spot him.


	36. Chapter 36

The two of them scrambled off the bed and towards the window, which they pushed open to welcome the winter spirit. Jack flew in and landed on the carpeted floor, causing frost to swirl across its surface. He glanced at the two siblings.

"What's with the long faces?" he asked.

"Kind of a long story," Jamie said. "But first things' first, you have to see this." Jamie's solemn expression changed instantly to one of excitement and joy as he grinned widely at Jack before turning and fetching the book. He waved it in Jack's face. "It's real! Can you believe it?"

"Whoa." Jack flipped through the book, just like everyone else who had held it previously had done. He realised one thing as he viewed the realistic illustrations, the book may be a recount of Jamie's experiences, Sophie's art expertise and printed for the entertainment of others, but it was also... a 'tool of belief'. Children who had not heard of one or two of the guardians could pick up a copy and be introduced to those guardians, and with the words and illustrations, they were bound to start believing, which could just about lead to saving the Guardians' lives. As Jack glanced up at Jamie's pleased expression, he couldn't help thinking that it was something Jamie had knew all along and had done it for the sake of that.

"Well, congratulations," Jack said, with his usual smile, as he handed the book back to Jamie. The smile faded almost immediately, as he caught sight of Sophie and remembered that there was something up. "Hey, what happened? Don't worry, you can tell me. Who knows? I might be able to help." Jack smirked, but the siblings didn't seem to lighten up. Jamie explained.

"Hilarious, our lives are," Sophie spoke, once Jamie finished. "Really interesting. Never a dull moment! One thing is sure to follow the other." She sighed. "Well, 'live' is an anagram of 'evil'..."

In spite of himself, Jamie rolled his eyes. "Come on, Sophie, don't be so dramatic," he said. He, too, sighed. "Maybe we should give this guy a chance. Who knows? He might be nice, nicer than dad." Jamie almost regretted those last words as Sophie turned and glared daggers at him. "Well, yeah, my first conversation with him wasn't exactly all that cheerful, but like I said, we should give him a chance."

"Who is he? Is he in the house right now?" Jack asked. Jamie shrugged.

"I suppose. Is the black car still there?"

"He's still here," Sophie snapped, as Jack was about to look out the window, as he had not quite paid attention to the presence and absence of vehicles along the road as he flew to Jamie's home. "He stays for as long as possible, or he would take mom out to some fancy restaurant."

Jack's eyes flickered to and fro from Jamie and Sophie, noticing their expressions. Sophie looked downright depressed and Jamie seemed pretty nonchalant, but there was something behind those brown eyes. "So, is there something you're planning to do about it?" he tried.

Jamie shrugged, but Sophie didn't seem to be able to let go so easily. "I have to stop the wedding," she said, firmly, before turning to her brother. "And we have to do it together since I can't do it all on my own."

Jamie rolled his eyes again. "Sophie, please, we're not Charlie's Angels. And this is mom we're talking about. Maybe she's finally found her one true love and you're just going to snatch everything away from her? You don't even know this guy?"

Sophie turned to glare at him, which was something she seemed to do often, of late. "You think I don't? I'm not the one who spends my days and nights outdoors hanging out with my friends!"

"So you're saying I don't know anything about what's going on in this household just because I spend a lot of time with my friends?" Jamie retorted, scowling. "Now, you just..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop it," Jack spoke, getting both their attentions. "Now's not really the time to argue, don't you think?" He turned to Sophie. "Maybe Jamie's right. Maybe you should give this guy a chance."

Sophie frowned. "Yeah, I guessed so much you would take Jamie's side. But I'm not..."

"Hey, Soph," Jamie said, cutting her off. "I have an idea. We give this guy a chance, we try to get to know him, to get along with him, to see how he and mom are getting along..."

"I'm not doing anything you just mentioned," she snapped, not waiting for him to finish. "And if you don't want to help me, that's fine!" With that, she walked out of the room and slammed the door. Almost instantly, a shout came from the lower floor.

"No slamming doors!" their mom called.

Jamie sank onto his bed, Jack joining him. The boy was starting to adopt Sophie's depressed look. "Sophie is still fantasizing that someday dad and mom will make up and we will all be together again," Jamie spoke, burying his head in his hands. There was a short silence between them. "Well, I guess I can't deny having such thoughts as well, but I know..." he trailed off.

Just then, there was the sound of Sophie's bedroom window being opened and she chucked something out, before slamming it shut. Jamie got up and ran to his own open window, and looked out to see a crumpled ball of paper falling into a bush way beneath the window. Jack flew down and retrieved it from the bush, before handing it to Jamie, who smoothed it out on his desk. It seemed to be a list of items of some kind. Jamie noticed a seal in the corner.

"A preparatory school," he muttered. It was a list of items required by the school, but why would Sophie be in possession of something like it? Unless, of course, she was switching schools, which was pretty impossible, as she had her friends in the public school and she seemed happy there. While he was ruminating, a loud knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie.

Jack zoomed over to the window and ducked outdoors before shutting it silently. The room temperature increased slightly as Jamie hurried over and answered the door. Outside stood the burly man. "We're going out for dinner tonight- the four of us- and so, I don't want you to go anywhere. Your mom tells me you roam the streets at night with your posse..."

"My what?" Jamie interrupted.

The man's brows furrowed. "So, stay put and don't go anywhere tonight. And be sure to let your sister know," he went on, ignoring the question, before turning and heading back to the stairs. Jamie watched him go. Not five seconds had passed before the man turned again and said, "Oh, and I heard loud voices earlier. Were you and your sister arguing?"

"Er... yeah," Jamie, who was honest to a fault, said, slowly. "We weren't really arguing, we were just having a really loud discussion. It happens all the time."

The man eyed him with a severe look. "I want none of that," he snapped. "I have low tolerance for kids who shout and make all sorts of noises. Ensure it doesn't happen again."

"Yes... sir," Jamie responded, unable to help himself. The man seemed to glare at him before hurrying down the stairs.

The 19-year old returned to his bedroom where Jack was seated on the windowsill, watching with undisguised interest. "Pretty controlling, huh?" he asked, a small smirk on his face, as Jamie let him in.

"It's not funny, Jack," Jamie said. "Strange why he's behaving like that. Is it part of his character or is mom behind it? Though I don't think she 's that controlling." As his eyes fell on his desk where the piece of paper lay, a thought occurred to him. He leaped to his feet, horrified. "Wait a second. Is Sophie really switching schools? Was it his suggestion? But why on earth...?"


	37. Chapter 37

Jamie and Sophie sat in an ominous silence, often exchanging glances. Sitting opposite both of them was their mother whom they hadn't seen that happy since a surprise birthday party for her which their father threw once upon another time. And of course, there was that soon-to-be-stepfather, who had an affable smile on his face as he and Mrs. Bennett conversed. Jamie couldn't help wishing that their food would arrive that instant so they could just eat and head home. He cast a sideways glance at Sophie, who looked as black as thunder, but the two adults at the table seemed oblivious to it, wrapped up in their own conversation. He couldn't blame her. Apparently, their mother's boyfriend had suggested sending her off to a preparatory school to improve her conduct and instil moral values. Sophie had never felt so insulted.

"You know, maybe you should just..." Jamie began, in a whisper, to his sister, but was immediately interrupted.

"Jamie Bennett, do not whisper. I suppose you have no problem in communicating normally?" snapped the burly guy, whose name had not been revealed to them yet. And by the looks of it, it might not be revealed anytime soon.

"I'm not even allowed to whisper at the table?" he asked, but that was a mistake.

Mrs. Bennett's eyebrows furrowed into a small frown, but Burly Guy's formed a huge scowl. "Perhaps I should ask you to leave the table," he snapped, glaring at Jamie.

The 19- year old was about to retort, when he caught his mother's eye. She seemed to glance at him pleadingly despite her small frown, and he kept his mouth shut, watching as they resumed their conversation like nothing had happened.

It seemed like an eternity before their food finally arrived. The waiter appeared to be moving in slow motion as he set the filled plates on the table. Jamie was about to tuck in instantly as his was set before him, but a direct glare from Burly Guy stopped him. Jamie scowled. What was his problem?

Once the waiter had cleared off only were they allowed to touch their food. Sophie ate one portion of her pasta before dropping her fork with a clatter. "I'm not hungry," she announced, pushing her plate away, before getting to her feet and leaving the table. Jamie noticed she headed in the direction of the bathroom.

"Look at that!" Burly Guy stated, turning partially to Mrs. Bennett, his other eye on the door leading to the restrooms Sophie had disappeared through. "What did I say about poor manners and conduct? Surely you do not think she does not need to be sent off to Ingram Prep?"

Mrs. Bennett looked concerned and worried. "But you do know that at that school, they're pretty... militaristic."

Burly Guy waved the statement away. "Yes, and that's how the students are reformed! Sophie would benefit greatly. She'll be a changed person at the end of the term, I'm sure of it!"

Jamie had a feeling that this soon-to-be father of theirs was not in the least bit concerned about Sophie's behaviour. Well, perhaps a tiny bit. But he just seemed to be interested in getting rid of her. And he couldn't help wondering. Would he be next?

"Maybe I should go after her," he said, about to get up.

"There's no need for that, young man," said the guy. "She's probably just gone to relieve herself. Sit down, sit down."

Jamie reluctantly sat back down, certain Sophie had not gone to the bathroom just to relieve herself. He slowly ate, watching the door and the two adults. He had almost finished eating and Sophie had not returned.

Jamie put down his fork firmly and got to his feet. "I'm going after her," he said, hoping his sister had not done anything rash. He walked off before either one of them could stop him and hurried through the door. Beyond we're the bathrooms. He peeked into the female lavatory and noted that it was empty. Most of the cubicles were, too, save for one.

"Sophie, are you in here?" he called in.

There was a short silence before a voice came from the closed cubicle. "Are they already leaving?" The door then slid open and Sophie came out, looking slightly miserable. Most of her anger was gone. "Maybe we should just let them go home, Jamie. We'll take the bus or something."

"We can't," he deadpanned. "We're in the city, we don't know our way around."

Sophie rolled her eyes. Her ire seemed to be returning. "We'll be fine," she said. "Anyway, don't tell me you really want to go with them."

Jamie sighed. "What were you doing in there all that time?" he asked, as they walked out of the female restroom.

"Masterminding," Sophie said, her eyes glinting. Jamie took a step back.

"Whoa, has Pitch possessed you or something? That is just like the look he always uses when he's about to unleash his army of nightmares!" said Jamie, resulting in Sophie rolling her eyes again.

"Do you want to hear all about my plan?" she asked.

Jamie held up a hand. "Wait a second," he said, before heading back out, striding casually towards the table, where dessert had already been served. The two adults looked up as he approached them.

"Where's Sophie?" asked Mrs. Bennett instantly.

"She's just... uh, having serious stomach trouble," he lied. He eyed the plate of pasta. "She... probably won't be eating."

Mrs. Bennett seemed worried for a second, then her expression changed. She looked amused, which startled Jamie.

"Jamie, did you enter the female restroom?" she asked.

Jamie stood there, dumbfounded, not really wanting to admit he did. Burly Guy let out a huge guffaw. Mrs. Bennett couldn't help smiling. "It's okay," she said. "You were just concerned." She got up. "Maybe I should check on her."

Jamie was about to stop her, when the guy stood up all of a sudden, looking as black as thunder. He glared at Jamie. "Stomach trouble, indeed!" he thundered, attracting several stares from the other patrons of the restaurant. "Ho, you think I cannot see through a lie, young man? You're probably the worst liar I've ever encountered in my 40 years of existence! You're in big trouble!"

Mrs. Bennett hurriedly summoned a waiter for the bill, which her fiancé settled, before marching them out of the restaurant. Jamie was glad she did that, for the guy seemed to be on the verge of creating a scene.

"Lloyd, that wasn't really necessary!" Mrs. Bennett said to her fiancé. Ah, so that's his name, Jamie thought. "You didn't really have to shout at Jamie! You could've just given him a small chiding!"

"I do not tolerate liars, as you very well know!" he retorted, before taking a deep breath and calming down. "Come along," he said, shortly, before turning and heading in the direction of where his car was parked.

"And Sophie?" Jamie asked, not moving.

Mrs. Bennett turned to him. "What is she really doing, Jamie?" she asked, slightly exasperated.

Jamie hesitated, before replying, "Composing herself."

Mrs. Bennett sighed. "Go and get her."

Jamie nodded before hurrying back inside the restaurant, several stares following him as he dashed towards the door. Sophie was leaning against the wall, staring at the ceiling, obviously deep in thought.

"Sophie, let's go!"

"I'm not going with him."

"Don't be stupid, Soph," Jamie snapped, taking her arm and forcefully leading her to the door, before it was yanked out of his grip.

"Mom doesn't love him," she said.

Jamie frowned slightly. "What?"

Sophie folded her arms. "Mom's not marrying him because she loves him. I mean, isn't it obvious?"

Jamie ruminated, his eyes on the tiled floor, as if it could suddenly explain what Sophie was saying. "I... Well, if that's so, then I would say mom's a great actress and you're better at seeing through people than I give you credit for." He looked up at Sophie. "Anyway, we'd better go. You can tell me more about it when we get home."

Sophie shook her head stubbornly. "You go," she said. "I'll find my way back. I'm not sharing a car with that creep."

Jamie sighed, exasperated. "What am I supposed to do? Go out there and tell them that? And I can't let you roam about the city on your own!"

Sophie rolled her eyes again, looking equally exasperated. "Well, think of something!"

Jamie paced for a few moments, before exiting. He crossed through the restaurant and out the front door where the two of them were waiting in the car, which was stationary right outside the restaurant. The driver's window was down and Lloyd was looking out.

"I just got a call from a friend," he said, walking up to the car. "He's invited me to a party he's throwing tonight, and Sophie is invited, too. The house which this pretty mild shindig is at is just a walking distance away from here." Jamie knew he was a bad liar, but he hoped that was believable enough.

Lloyd scanned Jamie's face with his intimidating green eyes, obviously searching for hints of facial expressions that indicated a liar, but thankfully, it was hard to see in the dark of the evening, the only source of light being the lit signboards along the row of shops, cafes and restaurants. "I think you have enough of partying, don't you think?" he finally spoke. "I did ask you to clear your schedule for tonight." His green eyes narrowed at Jamie. "Get your sister and get in."

Jamie bent slightly to implore his mother, but her face turned away from Jamie and her fiancé and she was looking out her window, ignoring the conversation between her fiancé and her son. "Mom?" Jamie called.

Mrs. Bennett sighed, before turning. "Who is it, Jamie?" she asked.

"Caleb," Jamie lied.

Mrs. Bennett touched her fiancé's arm. "Just let him go. He'll be back before midnight, won't you, Jamie?" The last one was directed at her son.

"Definitely!" Jamie responded, grinning. "Thanks, mom!" With that, he turned and hurried back into the restaurant before Lloyd could say anything against it. He found Sophie inside and they went out through the front door once the car had driven off. They entered a cafe two doors away where Sophie placed an order of toast, feeling hungry as he appetite had returned and she had not had much earlier.

"Listen, Jamie!" she said, as they sat opposite each other at a table, oblivious to the cacophony of voices and music around them. "You do know that they don't love each other, right?"

Jamie shook his head. "I just found out two minutes ago, from you. But how do you know that? And why would mom want to marry someone she doesn't love?"

"Here I made a list of everything," Sophie said, slipping a piece of paper on which she had scribbled her lists, towards Jamie. He tried to read it by the dim light of the hanging lamp above them.

_Reasons why mom is marrying that creep despite not even liking him_

_ 1) He is some practitioner of witchcraft and has bewitched her, mind, body and soul.  
2) He made empty promises.  
3) He showered her with all sorts of things.  
4) She's trying to get over dad.  
5) She's just mentally ill._

Jamie looked up, incredulous. "Sophie, have you got nothing better to do?"

"Just tell me what you think of it!" she snapped.

Jamie looked down at the first list. "Well, number five's definitely out. We know mom's not sick. And in number one, you make him sound like Pitch. Number two and three seem similar." He looked up at Sophie again. "You know, there could be more than one reason." He glanced down at the second list, which had been written just below Number Five of the first one. "And what's this?"

"Reasons why the creep is marrying mom," Sophie read out the title.

_ 1) He loves mom.  
2) He's trying to cheat mom.  
3) He plotting something, like mom's murder.  
4) He's trying to get revenge at Jamie and I through her. (I don't know why, though)  
5) He has a grudge against mom and wants to see her suffer (similar to numbers 2, 3)_

Jamie shook his head, as Sophie's toast arrived and she began munching on it. "You've got a vivid imagination, Soph," he said. "That's just stupid."

Sophie snatched the list back, scowling slightly. "Oh, so you think you can come up with better reasons?" she snapped, through a mouthful of toast.

Jamie leaned across the table towards her. "Look, why don't we just talk to mom when we get the chance? Lloyd leaves at night, right?"

"Mom often complains she's too tired and just goes to bed," Sophie said, swallowing.

"Maybe you could put on a show to get her attention, start a conversation and then begin asking."

"I'm not some detective in a mystery novel," Sophie said, bluntly. She picked up the second piece of buttered toast and hailed the waiter. "What sort of show? She probably took lessons from that creep and now has the ultra-bionic eye to see through lies."

"She was concerned about you earlier," Jamie said, settling the small bill and getting up. Sophie was still munching as she followed him outside. They hurried over to a bus stop nearby and joined a small crowd waiting. Jamie checked the timetable.

"She still cares? Well, that's surprising. I thought she forgot all about me," Sophie remarked, bitterly. "So, what am I supposed to do? Put on a sad face and confront her? Pour out my troubles, cry on her shoulder and then slowly talk to her about this creep? I can't! Anyway, I think we should do it together. Perhaps she would be more convinced then."

Jamie mulled it over. "Fine, we'll both talk to her," he said, with a small shrug.

**Well, I suppose this fiancé is an OC of mine... (obviously) **

** To Guest: Maybe, in some of the future chapters. :-)**


	38. Chapter 38

Jack sat atop the roof of the Bennett's house, looking up at the night sky, watching the trails of Dreamsand snake their way through windows into children's bedrooms, granting them dreams of gold. He peered downwards as he heard voices, and watched as Mrs. Bennett embraced that strange guy by the gate before the latter climbed back into his black car. A moment later, it drove off and Mrs. Bennett slowly walked to the front door and soon was out of Jack's sight.

The winter spirit more or less knew what was going on. He felt sorry for the Bennett siblings, particularly Sophie who seemed pretty distraught, but he understood it was best he kept out of such affairs. After all, he was a guardian, and he was supposed to bring joy to the children of the world, a huge responsibility and he didn't think it wise to meddle with family affairs. Though he wished he could do something, he couldn't think of anything save for freezing that strange man but that was out of the question.

Jack's mind wandered back to many years before, when Mrs. Bennett was just a child herself. She was born and raised in Burgess, so Jack knew her from a young age. She, too, like many other children, believed strongly in the guardians- the other guardians. She loved snow days and would usually win all the snowball fights if Jack didn't intervene. Her parents, however, seemed to quarrel much too often but their children had grown used to it except Mrs. Bennett, who was always in the depths of despair whenever quarrels flared up. Jack had once accidentally overheard a conversation between her and one of her best friends in which she mentioned she wanted to never get married lest she spent the rest of her life yelling at someone she was supposed to be in love with. Her friend had just laughed and teased that she would be the first one among them to be wedded.

Which came true. She married at an early age and Jamie was born about three years later. Jack still kept an eye on the grown-up children of Burgess, like he was currently doing, as he felt a strange sense of attachment towards them, probably because it was his birthplace and where he used to live before he died. Jack noticed Mrs. Bennett often seemed depressed; she and Mr. Bennett didn't converse much especially after Jamie was born. She almost single-handedly raised him. There were frequent quarrels, but Mrs. Bennett always tried to look cheerful and happy before her children and only mope or sob when she was alone. Jack didn't know much about Mr. Bennett, as he only moved to Burgess after he got married.

After the split, the winter spirit couldn't help wondering if Mrs. Bennett was finally able to live a peaceful life with no shouting or yelling. She looked like she did, though she didn't spend that much time with her children. But now, she was engaged again. Despite not knowing much about the whole romance thing, the guardian was surprised that Mrs. Bennett trusted this strange man so easily, like she didn't have any upsetting memories from her previous love life though she seemed genuinely happy. Perhaps she might finally fall under the category of people who are happily married? Jack hoped so, but Jamie and Sophie weren't pleased with this soon-to-be father of theirs.

From the roof, he spotted the two siblings in question alight a bus and walked in through their gate, about half-an hour after the man left, talking in low voices. They didn't seem to notice Jack, but then again, they didn't look up and were so immersed in their conversation. What it was about, the winter spirit couldn't hear and his curiosity was aroused. He waited till the lights in Jamie's bedroom flickered on before flying down to the windowsill. Jamie noticed him immediately and let him in.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere in Australia or something, bringing blizzards and snow?" asked Jamie.

Jack smirked. "Let's just say my work there is complete. Australia is pretty easy, not many parts receive snow. And it's Bunny's territory." There was a short pause before he went on. "So, what's going on?"

There was no immediate reply as Jamie and Sophie flopped onto the bed and Sophie smoothed out a piece of paper on which she had scribbled a lot and pored over it again, making notes here and there, ticking and crossing. "Sophie's trying to come up with a plan to stop the wedding," Jamie finally spoke.

Jack leaned on his staff. "And why?"

Sophie looked up sharply. "You mean, it's not obvious yet? He treats us like dirt, hates us and he's so infuriating, that I simply can't imagine life with him married to mom."

"And so you're trying to stop the wedding regardless of how it impacts your mother?" Jack asked.

Jamie sat up and stared at the winter spirit. "Jack, are you... against us in this? You think it isn't wise of us to do what we're planning to do?" He couldn't believe it.

Jack took a deep breath. "I just think it's pretty cruel to just tear your mother away from pure happiness like that." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Jamie and Sophie were incredulous.

"What are you talking about, Jack?" Sophie asked. "You should see how that man treats us! He must be some military officer or something! It can drive someone crazy, living with him."

"But we don't even know if mom is truly happy, Jack," Jamie continued. "For all we know, she may just be trying to get over dad."

"And since when was he the expert in these sort of things?" Sophie snapped. "Jack, you don't know our mother. She..."

"You're right," Jack cut her off. "I'm not an expert when it comes to things like this problem of yours. I'm not even a novice. And I shouldn't be messing with your family affairs, but I think perhaps you should give this guy a chance if your mother is truly enamoured of him. She was terribly unhappy when your father was around and..."

"What?" Sophie glared at the winter spirit. "Mom was happy! Dad may not have given her everything, but she wasn't sad or depressed. Sure, they had arguments as well, but that happens to everyone! And you may be a part of our family, but you're from a long, long time ago, so stay away!"

"Your mother was just acting! She didn't want you to feel depressed or traumatise your childhood so she put on an act before you after any quarrel or argument with your father!" Jack responded, aware that Jamie had not said a word. "I think you shouldn't..."

"You know what? I think..." Sophie began.

Jamie intervened at that moment. "Jack's right, Sophie," he said, earning him a stare from his sister. "Sometimes I overhear them quarrelling. You were pretty young. I thought it was something normal, despite constantly hearing dad threaten mom with divorce. Whenever I hear mom coming up, I would get into bed and she would usually look all happy as she tucked me in. I guess when dad finally found someone else, he decided to break it off for good."

An ominous silence hung over them as Jamie's words sank in. Sophie finally took a deep breath and spoke, breaking the silence. "But how do we really know that she will be truly happy with this creep?" She sounded calmer, but there was a bitter note to her voice, probably resenting the fact that she had not really known her mother.

"We talk to her. Wasn't that our original plan?" Jamie asked. "You should tell her everything. How you feel, and what you think and all. And we have to do it as soon as possible, like right now. Before Lloyd shows up in the morning again and goodness knows when we'll be able to talk to her. Imagine if he suddenly decided to stay the night tomorrow."

They crept out onto the landing, leaving Jack in their bedroom, as he would bring a drop of temperature anywhere he went and the siblings didn't want their mother worrying about the temperature when there was something else of greater import to be discussed. They stopped outside her bedroom door, listening. The sound of classical music from the radio was apparent. Mrs. Bennett was probably reading or something, while listening, as she did every night before she went to bed. An activity their father had never liked, they realised. Jamie brazenly knocked on the door.

"Jamie? Sophie? Is that you?" came her voice.

The two of them exchanged glances before Sophie answered. "Yes, mom. We... want to talk to you about... something."

Expecting their mother to call out to them to come in, they were surprised when they heard the sound of hurried footsteps and the door opened. Mrs. Bennett looked worried. "Come on in," she said, holding the door open as they entered. They climbed onto the double bed and had another round of glance-exchanging, mulling over what they wanted to say. Jamie had suggested a planned speech, so as not to accidentally hurt their mom or make her angry, but he doubted Sophie was going to stick to her script.

Mrs. Bennett positioned herself opposite them. "I know what this is about," she said.

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "You do?" she asked, mildly surprised.

Mrs. Bennett sighed. "This is about earlier, isn't it? Is there something wrong, Sophie? Jamie told me you were in the bathroom... composing yourself. Sophie..."

"No," Sophie said, so firmly her mother was taken aback. "It isn't about that. Okay, well, it's partially about that. It's... it's about..."

"It's about Lloyd." Jamie decided to help her out.

Mrs. Bennett turned to him. "It's Mr. Bane to you, Jamie," she said, before turning back to Sophie.

Jamie couldn't help smirking. That surname fitted the guy perfectly.

"What was it, Sophie?" Mrs. Bennett asked.

Sophie took a deep breath. "Mom, am I really going to Ingram Prep? You know how they're like at that school."

Mrs. Bennett sighed again. "I'm so sorry, Sophie, but I think it's for the best. I do seem to notice that your attitude is getting bad these days and sometimes, your anger is out of your control. And it's time you mastered discipline. Look on the positive side. The school can benefit you in so many ways, Soph."

"But what if it doesn't? What if I'm not happy there? Will you take me out of it?"

Mrs. Bennett hesitated for a moment. "No... I guess," she said. "L- Mr. Bane is quite confident that you can grow to like the school over a period of time and be a totally changed and reformed person when you graduate."

"That's the problem, mom!" Sophie responded, her voice slightly louder, but she hurriedly dropped it a notch, remembering Mrs. Bennett mentioning her anger being out of her control. "That's... the thing, mom," she said, sounding a little too meek. "You... It... It seems that Mr. Bane has taken control over everything. You seem to be answering to him all the time!"

"Sophie Bennett, what are you talking about?" said Mrs. Bennett. "Mr. Bane has not... taken control over everything, he just makes suggestions and I agree to whatever I think is appropriate! And I think a prep school will do you good. It is costly, no doubt, but he is willing to sponsor. You... you should be grateful!"

Sophie heaved a sigh of exasperation. "Do you love him, mom?" she asked.

"What sort of question is that?" Mrs. Bennett said. "Look, Sophie, if you came here to ask questions of that nature, you can very well return to your room right now and go to bed. It's running late."

"Okay, fine. You won't answer that. What about this? Do you love me, mom?"

Mrs. Bennett shut her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Now that is a stupid question. Of course I do."

"Don't you ever wonder if we're happy or not?" Sophie pressed on. "Right now, we're feeling pretty down in the dumps with the presence of..."

"What Sophie is trying to say is..." Jamie cut his sister off, sitting up straight, jumping into the conversation. She was going to ruin everything. Jamie knew she wouldn't stick to the planned dialogue, so he forged his own backup. "... how can we truly be happy if we do not know if you're happy, mom?"

Both Sophie and Mrs. Bennett turned to stare at him. "What do you mean, Jamie?" asked the latter.

"We just want to know if you really love Mr. Bane. Like with your whole heart and that you feel happy just being around him. That you are genuinely happy," Jamie replied. "I hate to bring this up, but I know you weren't happy with dad. Sophie and I can't bear the thought of you having to go through all that again because this guy isn't the right one. It can be... pretty depressing for us. We can't truly be happy of we know you're not." Jamie sighed quietly upon finishing, surprised at himself.

If looks could kill, Jamie would've died a most gruesome death from the ones he was receiving from Sophie. Mrs. Bennett chuckled, much to their surprise.

"I understand what you mean, Jamie," she said. "But yes, I believe Mr. Bane can give me a whole new life, one that is quite different from the one your father gave me. And..."

"Aren't we supposed to forge our own lives?" Jamie interrupted. "Do we really have to wait for someone to 'give' it to us? Must we really succumb to fate? We can't choose our own paths? Or is that just you women's lots? Aren't you suppose to pursue your own happiness?"

Mrs. Bennett seemed lost for words for a moment. She blinked several times, and Jamie and Sophie could see she was on the verge of bursting into tears. Jamie tentatively reached out and took her hand, immediately causing her to burst into tears. But he held on.

"I just wanted you to have a proper family again," she sobbed. "I didn't want you to be without a father. I know you're already nineteen, Jamie, but still..." She trailed off.

"Is this marriage really necessary?" Sophie asked.

Mrs. Bennett dried her tears. "I suppose, Sophie," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "I can tell you don't like Mr. Bane. But just try. Give him a chance. He has treated me well, more than I deserve. He doesn't have a particular fondness for teenagers, but that can change if you can prove yourselves. Can you do it? Please, for me?"

There was a short moment of silence before Jamie leaned forwards and enveloped her in a hug. "Okay, mom. I... I'll try."

Sophie ruminated. "As long as he stops being so militaristic and I don't have to go to Ingram Prep, then, alright, I'll give this guy a shot," she finally said, a bitter edge to her voice. She leaned forwards, against her mother. "Just... don't expect too much."

**Gah! This is horrible! But I could think of no other way to write it. *digs a hole and buries myself in it* **

** *peeks out of the hole* But thanks for reading and all the reviews, favourites and follows! *dives back in* **


	39. Chapter 39

**WARNING: This chapter and the next few are rated 'T'. Overall, it is mostly K+, but there are certain chapters that may sport a different rating. (this is the first) I'm sorry. (Please refer to slightly edited summary) **

* * *

"I swear, Jamie Bennett, if nothing good comes out of this, I'll hate you for the rest of my life."

Jamie and Sophie sat at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping on a conversation between their mom and their soon-to-be father, which fortunately was not about them or their attitudes. Jamie looked down at the notebook in which he had scribbled additional information on the guy which he had elicited from his mother the previous night. "I think it's worth a shot."

Sophie grabbed the scruff of her brother's collar and looked him in the eye. Jamie wished he could wrench himself from her grip but that would cause too much noise and he risked falling down the stairs. "Look, we only have three days more before the wedding," Sophie seethed, in a low voice. "If we use up all that time trying to get him on our side instead of devising a way to ruin the wedding, then you're totally, officially dead."

"Ive got an idea," Jamie whispered. "What about I try to talk to him, and you go ahead with those plans of yours. Maybe it's best if I'm the only one who tries this."

Sophie released her grip. "Fine," she said. "But what about mom? She's sure to wonder if I'm not seen with that creep, since I promised her."

"Just tell her you're busy," Jamie responded. "I'm not encouraging you to lie, but it'll probably break her heart otherwise."

Sophie rolled her eyes as she got to her feet. "Sometimes I wonder why she's so weak." She tiptoed across the landing and quietly stepped into her room. Jamie went downstairs, taking tentative steps, going over in his mind what he had planned to say.

The two adults were seated on the couch and both looked up when Jamie approached. Mrs. Bennett wore a small smile though Mr. Bane looked furious. "What do you want, son?" he barked.

Jamie's heart rate accelerated and he hurriedly tried to calm himself before responding, "Er... I was thinking, perhaps we might..."

"You do know that I'll be seeing a friend later, right? Well, Jamie was thinking of taking you to the park in Burgess. You've not been there, I suppose? It's a pretty delightful place and I think you might be able to take this opportunity to learn more about each other," Mrs. Bennett hurriedly spoke. She turned to her son. "Is that right, Jamie?"

Jamie forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah," he said. Great save, mom!

Mr. Bane still had that look of contempt on his face but he nodded. "Very well," he said. "I look forward to seeing what's so intriguing about the park. At what time should I meet you there?"

Jamie glanced at the clock on the wall. "At ten, perhaps?" he suggested. "And we're not meeting there, we'll both walk there... together."

#

The two of them walked to the park in the summer heat, which wasn't so bad that morning. Jamie kept sneaking sideways glances at Mr. Bane who appeared to be quite interested in the buildings around him. Silence hung over them. Jamie was trying to think of something to say to break it, but there didn't seem to be anything. He just wasn't interested. And Mr. Bane didn't look like he was about to struck up a conversation either.

"Jamie Bennett!"

Both of them turned at the sound of Jamie's name being called by a familiar voice. Jamie was most surprised to see Emily running up to him, waving. He hadn't seen her in over a year. Apparently she moved to a neighbouring town to live with some relatives while her father stayed in Burgess. Emily's father had been a literary agent who had helped Jamie survive the publishing process. It turned out that Emily's desperation to help him was to actually help her father and herself. Her father had been thinking of moving out of Burgess to some other place where he could get a job, and Emily had not wanted to leave Burgess. However, she was compelled to, being a severe amnesiac. Her relatives out of Burgess had seen to her for about a year to help improve her memory.

"Emily!" Jamie exclaimed. "I thought you were..."

The girl smiled. "Yeah, but I came back yesterday. As you know, it can't be cured, and I'm just taking medication right now, but I'll be fine. I'm so glad to be back! Oh, and how is... it?"

Jamie beamed. "If 'it' refers to the book, then, well, it's out. I got a copy several days ago. Didn't your father tell you about it?"

"Is this a friend of yours, Jamie?" asked Mr. Bane, all of a sudden. Jamie had almost forgotten he was there.

The 19- year old forced a smile. "Yes, this is Emily. Her father is my literary agent."

"It's nice to meet you," Emily said, with her most radiant smile, extending her hand. Jamie expected Mr. Bane to merely glare at it like it was covered in mud, but surprisingly, he took it. There was no proper handshake, however, merely brief brushing of fingers. A thought struck the boy. He remembered Emily's weird ways and it turned out she was amnesiac. What about Mr. Bane? Perhaps he suffered from a disease, too. Jamie couldn't help thinking that was the case.

"We should be on our way," Mr. Bane said, turning to Jamie. He nodded at Emily and strode past them.

"Who's that?" Emily asked, curious.

Jamie almost laughed. "Long story," he replied. "See you later." He ran off after his soon-to-be stepfather.

The park soon came into view. Jamie surveyed his surroundings, noticing the streets and the people walking past, and as a furniture van drove past, a memory returned. He ran to catch up with Mr. Bane. "Hey, you know what happened to me here, about nine years ago?" He spoke in a rather excited manner which caught the man's attention. He merely grunted. Jamie went on to describe his freak sledding experience. Mr. Bane merely listened as they turned in at the park, not interrupting nor saying a word, but Jamie wondered if he was even listening. The boy paused for a moment as they crossed over to a park bench and sat down.

"And what happened after that couch hit you?" Mr. Bane asked.

Jamie looked at him, surprised that he was actually listening. "Oh, well, a tooth of mine fell out."

He could've sworn he saw the corners of the man's mouth twitch as though he was about to smile. The man turned and looked out over the park, studying his surroundings.

There was a moment of silence. Jamie finally heaved a heavy sigh and began. "You know, I wanted to talk to you about... about the way you treat us." He paused, but the man didn't say anything. Jamie frowned slightly. Why was he not telling him off? Was he in some kind of trance? The boy decided to just go right on and ponder on that later. "I know you expect us to be good kids with an abundance of moral values and good manners, but we're not perfect. And Sophie, well, she's kind of a rebel. It's pretty obvious. You shouldn't be too harsh on her."

"Children will never realise they're wrong if you're not harsh on them," Mr. Bane snapped. Jamie felt almost relieved, for he was on the verge of believing that he had taken the wrong person out.

"Not Sophie," Jamie said. "She doesn't respond to something like that. In fact, it instigates her to rebel even more. She hates being compelled to do something. She can actually be a pretty... sweet girl when you get to know her. Like, truly get to know her." Jamie felt sick in the stomach upon hearing those words flow from his mouth. Sophie, a sweet girl? He wished.

"Are you telling me what to do, young man?" asked Mr. Bane, without turning.

"Not at all," Jamie responded. "I'm merely suggesting. And I'm also just giving my opinion. I know my sister better than you do. And I know sending her off to that school is not going to change anything." That came out a little too harsh.

Mr. Bane turned and glared at Jamie, but the boy didn't care any longer. He pressed on before the man could get a word in. "You are so militaristic. You're not even related to us, well, not yet. You don't seem to care about us at all. You just want us to say and do the right things. Things that you think are right, but in reality, not all of them are. Our father never treated us that way!" Jamie blurted the last line out, and was surprised when Mr. Bane remained unfazed. Though he could see rage boiling up in the man's eyes. "And mom would never treat us that way. You can't be in control of everything."

"Why you..." Mr. Bane began.

"I'm nineteen and I'm no longer a child," went on Jamie. He couldn't stop himself. Wasn't he supposed to have a heart-to-heart talk with this guy? Like his mother wished him to? Well, if his mother asked, he could probably call it a heart-to-heart talk à la Jamie-Bennett-when-he's-in-contact-with-people-lik e-this-creep. "Maybe you should change your approach, then you'll be above reproach." Oh, he was rhyming now. Jamie wished he could just slap himself in the face right there and then. What was he rattling on about? He was ruining everything! Suddenly he was sure Sophie could've done a better job.

The good news was, he was glad he said everything he wanted to say. The bad news, Mr. Bane didn't seem to like it.

The guy, however, seemed lost for words. Jamie finally got to his feet. "I'm so sorry this didn't turn out right. But I..."

"Forget it," the man spoke, all of a sudden. Jamie was taken aback. Mr. Bane got to his feet and faced Jamie, reaching out and grabbing the boy's shoulders. He smiled, which creeped Jamie out even more. The boy tried to step backwards, but the grip on his shoulders was too strong. "I understood all you said. And this park is a delightful place. Now, allow me to take you somewhere with a similar ambience."

Jamie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Where?" he asked.

Mr. Bane smiled again. The smile looked odd and out of place on his face. "You'll know soon enough, but I'm sure you'll love it." He was taking on the tone Mrs. Bennett used with her children. Jamie was confused and creeped out.

But perhaps this was his chance to give the guy a chance.

"Okay." Was his reply.

They returned to the house, where both got into the black car. Jamie waved goodbye to his mother, who was watching from the window. As the car drove off, Jamie sneaked another sideways glance at the man. He was still smiling, but there was something off about his smile. Jamie glanced at the reflection of his house in the rear mirror, watching it grow smaller and smaller until they turn at a corner and it disappeared from sight.

They drove on for about half-an hour. Jamie was getting restless. They were travelling to a part of Burgess he was not familiar with. "How long more before we arrive?" Jamie asked. Mr. Bane had lost his smile, and was wearing a rather calm and collected expression which was also odd, as his signature expression was an angry, frowning look.

"Maybe another fifteen minutes," he replied, shortly. No chidings, nothing. He didn't tell Jamie off for questioning him while he was driving or threaten the boy in any other way. "But I guarantee it'll be worth the long journey."

Jamie nodded and looked out the window. They passed several factories, some houses, plantations and warehouses. Jamie had never been to that part of Burgess before. He hoped Mr. Bane knew where he was going.

All of a sudden, a thought struck the 19- year old and he would've reprimanded himself severely had he not been filled with a new worry. What if Mr. Bane wasn't all he seemed? What if he was driving Jamie somewhere before disposing of the boy? Morbid thoughts raced through Jamie's mind. Mr. Bane could drive him to the end of Burgess, throw him out of the car and return to the house, where he would tell Mrs. Bennett that Jamie had lost his temper and wanted to stay with a friend till the wedding was over. Or he could stop at someplace and dispose of the boy permanently, like those thriller movies and novels Jamie had watched and read. He began to panic and wondered why he had not thought of it before.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go somewhere else," he said, firmly. "If you could just turn back and head back to Burgess."

"We are still in Burgess," said Mr. Bane, calmly.

"I mean, back home," Jamie said, his voice rising. "Like, right now!"

Mr. Bane smirked and kept on driving without a word. "Are you deaf? Turn back! I have to get home!" Jamie yelled, at the top of his voice. The streets they were driving through were deserted.

Finally Jamie freed himself of his safety belt before he lunged forwards and grabbed the steering wheel, attempting to turn the car around and head back home. He caught Mr. Bane by surprise and for a moment the guy did nothing, merely yelled out in shock and the car turned partially. But he soon realised what was going on, and shoved Jamie off the wheel, hard. The boy banged slightly against the side, while Mr. Bane turned the car back and drove at an alarming speed. Jamie knew it was no use trying to open the door and get out that way, he could injure himself. He tried to throw a punch, but the man was fast. He grabbed Jamie's outstretched wrist with his left hand and released the grip on the steering wheel momentarily to twist the boy's arm. Jamie cried out in pain and Mr. Bane delivered a strong blow to his head which made the boy see stars. As Mr. Bane was struggling to regain control of his car, his next punch was sloppy and Jamie managed to evade it and began fumbling with the door, his head throbbing and his vision blurring. The car was not going that fast anymore. He could just jump out.

The car swerved suddenly to the right, and Jamie, without the safety of the belt, was thrown towards Mr. Bane. He steadied himself and managed to unlock the door of the slowing vehicle and climb out in a hurry.

"Grab him!"

Jamie turned in shock, able to make out the blurry silhouettes of two other men running out of a warehouse nearby, towards him. The boy scrambled to his feet, trying to run, but his head throbbed badly, slowing him down. A moment later, he felt a pair of hands clench around his neck as one of the men grabbed him in a stranglehold. Another blow was delivered to his head and everything went black.

**I'm so sorry about the sudden change in rating. But it would come sooner or later, as Jamie is growing up. Anyway, different chapters may have different ratings (please refer to edited summary) and I'll mention at the beginning of a chapter if it is not rated K+ or lower. I apologise again. **


	40. Chapter 40

Mrs. Bennett was keeping Sophie in the dark about almost everything concerning the wedding which the girl most infuriating. She wouldn't be able to come up with a plan to ruin the wedding if necessary if she didn't know about it. Sophie fumed as she sat at her desk, idly spinning her pen and staring out the window. Her mind wandered over to Jamie. How was he getting on? Was the creep giving him a hard time? Sophie suddenly wished she had gone as well. It beat staying in the house with an all-too-cheerful mother who wouldn't let her know anything about the event. Finally, Sophie left the room and headed downstairs and out of the house. Wasn't Jamie taking the creep to the park? Perhaps she could go there and watch from afar or something without being seen by her brother. She grabbed her bike from its shed and was off down the road leading to the park. She did not notice the absence of the black car her archenemy drove which was usually parked in front of the house.

"Sophie Bennett!"

Sophie wobbled dangerously atop her bicycle, startled by the sudden sound of someone calling her. She halted and turned to see who it was. "Emily?" she said, surprised, as the girl who had disappeared for over a year ran up to her, waving and beaming. "When did you come back?"

"Yesterday," she replied. "I saw your brother earlier, with some man."

"Yes, I'm looking for him, too," Sophie said. "He went to the park, didn't he?"

Emily's brows furrowed as she tried to remember. "I'm sorry, I can't recall. But it did seem like it. Though I doubt he's still there, it was earlier this morning when I saw him."

"Well, he hasn't returned home," Sophie said, mounting her bike. "Well, I'd better be off. Oh, and thanks for everything!"

Sophie sailed off, keeping an eye out for Jamie. The weather was warm and a little breezy, so perhaps Jamie may have decided to stay longer at the park. Upon arriving, Sophie scoured the place in search of her brother but there was no sign of him. The patrons she questioned had either just arrived or they had not been paying attention to Jamie Bennett all the time and others didn't know him. Sophie finally gave up and headed home. Leaving her bike in its shed at the back of the house, she was about to walk in through the back door when she heard humming. Mrs Bennett was in the kitchen and Sophie had resolved to avoid her and her cheery attitude at all costs. She went round to the front door and was about to dash in and up to her bedroom when she stopped in her tracks.

Turning, she surveyed the front yard. There was something amiss. She ran through a quick mental checklist. Everything seemed to be in place, the fence, the gate, trees around, but there was still something missing. Just as she was about to turn and forget about it, a shiny black car belonging to a neighbour drove past and it registered.

"Where is...?" she trailed off. Mr. Bane's car was not there. He must've gone somewhere, then, but where? And what about Jamie? Did they come home? How did she not hear them? They must've left when she was showering or napping. And so, where were they? Questions churned in Sophie's mind. She sat on the doorstep and stared at the space where the car was usually parked, trying to sort it out herself. They left by car. Obviously that meant they were going somewhere far. Somewhere out of the usual walking distance. Definitely nowhere nearby. But why would Jamie suggest going someplace far? Or perhaps the guy suggested it? That did seem like it.

Sophie got up and hurried indoors. Halfway up the stairs, she had a strange thought. What if Mr. Bane lied, somehow? What if he took Jamie somewhere else, somewhere far, and just left him by the road or something similar, and returned with a story? Sophie chided herself for even thinking of such things. She shook away the thought, but couldn't shake off the feeling. But she was convinced the creep wouldn't do that, should Mrs. Bennett find out. Assuring herself that her brother was fine, she hurried back to her bedroom.

#

Chile to Argentina to New Zealand. Jack was grateful to the wind for always being willing to offer him a free ride whenever he needed one. The spirit perched atop a mountain in Australia, looking out over snow-covered parts and areas he had left untouched, wondering if he should surprise Bunny with a visit to the Warren. Jack smirked at the thought. That was one option, and the other was to head back to Burgess. The place was basking in the summer heat, however, and Jack doubted he would want to stay long. The Bennett siblings sprang to his mind. They were too busy trying to ruin a wedding, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to pay them a visit.

#

The first thing Jamie was aware of when he came around was the severe throbbing of his head. The next thing was the sharp pain in his arm.

Slowly, as he regained consciousness, everything came crashing back down. It had all seemed like a dream, but his broken arm and current location proved it wasn't. Jamie tried to sit up, but his arm complained. His legs were bound and his hands as well, behind his back. A piece of cloth gagged him.

I've been kidnapped! The thought caused Jamie to half-laugh and half-cry silently. It was something he had never expected to happen to him and at the same time, he wondered if he could make it out alive. Slowly, he maneuvered himself into a sitting position and studied his surroundings. The crates and boxes that sat around in an unorganized fashion, some opened to reveal they were empty indicated that he could be in a warehouse. As he struggled to remember, he could recall the warehouses and factories he had seen along that lonely, deserted street.

And then there was Mr. Bane. As Jamie was aware of his condition, he wondered if Mr. Bane would end up being his bane. But what was his motive? What did he have against the boy? Jamie tried to call out for help, but his cries were muffled by the gag which he attempted to take off but his movements were limited. Also, he did not think there was anyone in the warehouse or out on that street who would be able to hear him. Judging by the soft light filtering in through several windows, he had been there for a long time, it was late in the evening and soon the place would be in darkness.

Jamie suddenly hoped Pitch would pay him a visit.

He leaned back against the wall, not ready to admit defeat but not sure what to do either. How long would it be before his mother found out about his sudden disappearance? His heart sank as he knew the man would definitely lie to her about his whereabouts, she would feel so disappointed in him, the wedding would happen and...

Jamie sat up, for a moment, ignoring the pain in his arm. The wedding! He didn't know why Mr. Bane wanted to marry his mom but for whatever reason, he could not let it happen! He felt sick at the thought of a union between his own mother and someone who would have people knock him out and throw him in a warehouse, bound and gagged. Sophie! What about her plans? Jamie was slightly comforted upon remembering that Sophie had her own plans, but he knew his sister would probably not execute them without him. Jamie groaned, the sound muffled.

Darkness fell like a shroud. Jamie could barely see a thing before a full moon came into view. It served as a source of light and Jamie couldn't help feeling a rush of gratitude.

#

Lies, all lies. Sophie didn't believe a word of what he said.

A disgruntled Mr. Bane had returned in the evening, muttering under his breath about terribly-behaved teenagers who think everything they did was right and Mrs. Bennett instantly concluded that their little outing had gone acrimoniously and she had seemed a little disappointed. Sophie eavesdropped on their conversation from the top of the stairs to find out that, apparently, Mr. Bane found Jamie a most disagreeable boy and they had had an altercation in which Jamie blatantly pointed out all of Mr. Bane's flaws and insulted him in many ways. The boy had then stomped off, but not without mentioning that he was planning to put up at a friend's place until the wedding was over and done with. He was considering not to even return once that passed. Mr. Bane had hung out on his own after the dispute, ruminating on what Jamie had said and apparently, plunging himself into the depths of despair. Sophie immediately made a mental note to nominate him for Best Actor of the Year.

Mrs. Bennett was horrified and the crestfallen look on her face after made Sophie wished she could just punch the guy in the face and send him flying to the moon. She didn't believe Jamie would do something like that. Well, yes, perhaps he would point out flaws, but he wouldn't do it in such a manner as Mr. Bane described.

The odd feeling that something bad had happened filled Sophie again as she trudged to Jamie's room. Rummaging through a bag by his desk which carried several belongings of his which he rarely used, she fished out a cellphone and switched it on, heaving a sigh of relief as the screen flickered to life. Jamie had gotten that cellphone from their mother for his eighteenth birthday, but he hardly used it as he saw no point in it. Anyone in Burgess he wanted to contact lived within walking distance. That one person he wanted to constantly be able to contact was not in possession of a cellphone or any similar device. Sophie scrolled through the list of contacts and called the first person on it- Caleb.

"Jamie?"

"This is Sophie, actually," Sophie said, her voice just above a whisper, the phone pressed to her ear. "Caleb, can you hear me?"

"Yes, but it's really faint. Can you speak up?"

Sophie raised her voice a notch. "Has Jamie gone over to your place?" she asked.

"Nope." Was his immediate reply.

"Did he say anything about staying at a friend's house? When was the last time you saw him? Have you seen him anytime between this morning and this evening?"

Caleb mulled those questions over before answering, "Nope, he didn't. The last time would be... I can't remember, I see him too often. But I can tell you I didn't see him at all this morning or afternoon, though I heard from that Emily that he was at the park with some strange guy. Is that your mom's fiance whom I've heard so much about?"

"Yes," Sophie replied. "Right, thanks, I've got to go." She hung up and decided to skip Claude, figuring that he would usually hang out with his twin. She hurriedly called the others; Cupcake, Monty and Pippa, but had negative answers. The day was darkening and Sophie was filled with worry, finally truly certain something bad had befall Jamie. She was in the dark about what it was and what sort of role Mr. Bane played. She got to her feet and was about to leave the room when there was the soft, familiar tapping sound on the window.

**Another bad chapter. *buries self once more in a hole***

** Thanks for reading, favouriting and following as well as reviewing despite the steadily decreasing quality of these chapters! **


End file.
